Survivin' on Sweet Tea and Love

St. Patrick's Day Adventure to Downtown

2012-03-21T08:00:00.000-04:00

For some reason last week, I decided I wanted to take Andrew to a museum. Not sure why but it was a good idea. We've (meaning Dwight and I) lived in Raleigh since 1999 and have never been to any of the downtown attractions. I just don't care for all of the one way streets so we've played outside the beltline. I did take him to the kids museum with our playgroup but after spending $14 for just two of us, I decided that wouldn't be an option as a family. I don't like paying for kid attractions where I have to pay also just to supervise my child so I was hoping for some less expensive alternatives.

I saw a story on the news about the new attraction at the Museum of Natural Science so after reading the website, I decided we would go on Saturday. In my sleep somewhere between late, late Friday night and early Saturday morning, I realized that Saturday was St. Patrick's Day, and I bet the streets would be closed for the parade. We made a point of getting going early before the streets were closed.

We bought tickets for the Dinosaurs 3D movie. Here are Dwight and Andrew as we waited...

Andrew was wowing the whole time. He thought the movie was pretty cool. At the end, something kinda jumped out, and he screamed. We laughed. Addicyn even watched it too! It was a little loud for her, and she jumped a time or two so I spent some of the time covering her ears.

Andrew was scared to death of the snake exhibit. They had probably twenty different kinds of snakes, and he wouldn't even get close to the glass enclosures. I kept telling him they couldn't get out, but he wasn't buying it. When I wanted to have the picture below taken, I nearly had to put him in a restraining hold because he didn't want to turn his back to the snakes.

Addicyn was so good. I would have forgotten she was even with us had I not had to push the stroller. We never heard a peep out of her, and then, she went to sleep.

Aside from the snakes, we enjoyed the anthropod exhibits. These huge things are Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches. Ewww! Everytime I hear that name, I think about the old show, Fear Factor. They always used these things in challenges - either eating them or having thousands dumped on people or something totally crazy.

They also had a small butterfly house. Andrew was swatting at them so we didn't stay long. I wanted to get a good picture. I love my new camera for this very reason!

It was past lunchtime and a certain person was wanting food (and no, it wasn't Andrew). We finished up our tour of the museum and headed for the car. There are horse and carriage rides as well as rickshaw rides available downtown. We passed on it but a lady was beginning her carriage ride as we walked by. The picture below is the North Carolina Legislative Building, where all the crazy (and some not-so-crazy) laws get passed, and our taxes always take a hike.

As we crossed the street to get to the parking lot, we noticed a huge gathering of people at the next street over. The St. Patrick's Parade was in full swing. Addicyn needed to eat, and since I couldn't maneuver her stroller through the crowd, I stayed back, fed her and let Dwight take Andrew up close to see the parade. It was his first, and although we didn't stay long, I think he enjoyed it. There was a huge turnout for the parade in front of the North Carolina Capitol Building.

We left and went to have lunch at Chili's. After lunch, we went to buy Andrew new shoes and finally back home. We had a nice St. Patrick's Day exploring downtown. The museum was very nice but, I personally just wish it had been more hands on. Andrew talked about it off and on over the next day so I know he enjoyed it. What can we get into next?

Flat Stanley's Visit

2012-03-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

Ever heard of Flat Stanley? I know some of you have and he's even visited you. Flat Stanley is a character in a children's storybook who is flatten by a bulletin board. When he wants to go visit California, his family folds him up and sends him in an envelope. One of our friends' daughter is in kindergarten in Virginia and her class recently read the book. We were lucky enough to get asked if Stanley could come visit us. I was more than willing to help J out and knew Andrew would love showing Stanley around.

We were going out of town to see my family and decided Stanley should come along. We had a short weekend trip planned so we didn't have time for a lot but we did make a few stops...

Our favorite place to eat! Andrew and Stanley had cheese pizza.

The church where Dwight and I were married. I still consider this my home church.

Stanley was on his best behavior!

We even went to put a smile on Grandma's face at the nursing home. She enjoys having visitors!

Once we got back home, I had big plans for Stanley. Unfortunately, I got deathly sick - at least that is how I felt. Oh I haven't been that sick in a while. It knocked me on my back for several days. Thankfully, Dwight took off one day and was off another day so he was able to help out. Andrew decided to show Stanley his preschool and let him meet his classmates.

Andrew had good behavior at school so I decided that maybe Dwight could take Andrew and Stanley to the local bounce house. Andrew has been wanting to go back and I really had planned to take him but with being sick, it was impossible. Dwight was awesome and agreed to take him on Saturday morning.

Stanley's stay was quickly coming to an end. I had to write a letter, print out the pictures and mail it all back to J's school. I was kind of disappointed that we didn't get to do everything I had planned but when I received a message on Facebook from J's mom, I felt better. She said J came home and was so excited because her teacher read my letter to her class. If J was happy, then I was happy.

Has Stanley ever visited your house?

All Points Bulletin

2012-03-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

We had our first runaway two weeks ago!

Andrew got mad at me because I wouldn't let him watch his show. He said he was leaving. I made him follow me downstairs so I could let him out the front door and go on his merry little way. Initially, he didn't really want to go but as I encouraged him, out the door he went. Before he left for good, I told him to don't even think about coming back because once the door was shut, it was shut. I then proceeded to give him a quick reality check. You know the one about not having food to eat, shivering in the cold, avoiding all the mean animals that live in the woods, etc. etc.

I couldn't resist taking a picture as he left to enter the big world on his own. He was completely prepared:

barefooted

in his cartoon underwear

t-shirt

baseball hat

doctor's bag filled with matchbox cars

I even offered him his blanket and doggie but he declined.

I closed the door behind him and watched out the window just to see if I needed to shout at him if he went near the road. Who was I kidding? He looked around, walked into the front yard and took off sprinting around the house. By the time I got to the windows on the back side of the house, I saw this...

Playing on his not-quite-finished playset. He was going down the slide face first with his underwear shining. He got in the sandbox area, sat at the little picnic table, dumped out his cars and played like nothing was going on. He did emerge just to pull his underwear down and pee pee in plain sight. I've really got to teach that boy that he can't just pull his pants down wherever he gets the urge - not even in our backyard because we do have neighbors. It was warm this day - low 70s but there were storms rolling in. The wind started to kick up and it scared him. He ran to the corner of the screened porch, stopped, looked around at the trees starting to whip back and forth and ran as fast as he could to the front porch to ring the doorbell. I decided I'd better let him in before somebody called DSS on this non-practicing social worker!

7 Months Old

2012-03-02T10:08:00.000-05:00

About Addicyn this month:

You weigh just over 15 lbs. this month. You didn't have a well-check appointment but we know this because you had your first fever on your 7th month birthday. You and I have been under the weather so your picture was taken a day late and we did it sleeper style. The pediatrician said no ear infection, just a virus. Your hair is getting darker by the day it seems and is growing!

You have been sitting alone for a few weeks now and you are trying to crawl. You are starting to get those little knees up under you to push off. Andrew started pushing off at 6.5 months so you are a little behind him but it's just a matter of time. You are sleeping on your sides and tummy a lot more. There is just something about it that I love. You are talking a lot! There is debate on what your first word was but in all honesty, you were saying babababa a lot in the beginning. It also sounded like you were saying maaaaaamaaaaa when you would cry and you are saying dada a lot now. Dada and baba are the most consistent these days but the other night at the dinner table, you very clearly said mama.

You still want mommy in the room at all times and cry if I walk out. That makes getting much accomplished quite difficult. I haven't felt comfortable leaving you in the church nursery yet so that will be interesting and heart-wrenching for me at the same time. I'm not even entertaining the thought until at least the end of March or beginning of April so maybe most of the sickies will be gone. People still ooooh and aaaah over you and especially your eyes. You have thankfully inherited the long-eyelashes. One day you will thank your parents for that amazing trait.

We did move you to your own room at around 6.5 months. You haven't been fazed by the transition. Mommy had more anxiety over the move than you did. After the first couple of nights, I was ok too. You generally wake up around 7:15am. Still cat napping. Yesterday, while we were both sick, we napped for over 2 hours and that might be a record for you!

You are still my non-picky eater. You still haven't turned your nose up at one thing I've fed you. You don't discriminate when it comes to food. You open your mouth just like a little bird waiting on a worm. I did offer you Puffs this past month and although you haven't developed your pincher grasp, you like them. You toss them around in your mouth and look confused but down the hatch they go everytime. Some days you want food more than milk but I still offer both. That just means that some days I don't have to give you any formula at all! Finally, you are wearing 3-6 months clothes and size 3 diapers.

And now for the outtakes:

Splish Splash - Andrew's Version

2012-02-23T07:30:00.001-05:00

Andrew has been raking in the loot since Christmas with his birthday soon following in early February. He has more toys than the law should allow so we kept Valentine's Day very simple. It was very inexpensive but I knew he would like it...his very own shaving kit complete with a razor, shaving cream brush, shaving cream and comb.

His first shave

Fear not, we have stressed the issue of him not touching our razors. Otherwise, he is in trouble in more ways than one!!

Splish Splash

2012-02-15T10:08:00.000-05:00

This picture gives me scary visions of her driving a car in 16 years.

This little girl loves taking a bath. As soon as I mention bath, she starts smiling. She discovered splashing several weeks ago and just discovered washing the mirror as you can see in the last picture. These pictures are from my cell phone and I have a video of her splashing but I can't figure out how to get the video off my phone and onto Blogger. If you are my friend on FB, congratulations because will be able to see it once I share. If you aren't, boy, you sure are missing out! ☺

I think she will be graduating to the kitchen sink soon. I gave Andrew his first real tub bath at 8 months so it won't be long!

Party Animals

2012-02-09T09:39:00.000-05:00

Andrew turned 4 on Sunday! I still can't believe it but he did. We started celebrating on Friday with a trip to see Susan. We had lunch, cake, ice cream and Andrew opened his gifts. He got some money, a Tonka fire truck, crayons, a GIANT Toy Story coloring book and another coloring thinga-ma-jig.

Saturday, I spent the day cleaning not because we were having family coming over on Sunday but because my house really needed it. I spent the whole day cleaning and planning for the party. Sunday, I started as soon as my feet hit the floor. I have two birthday traditions that I carry out every year: I always make a slideshow of random pictures throughout the year of the birthday boy and then we do a handprint each year. I started on his slideshow Sunday morning and got it done within one hour but when I tried to attach the music (Anything Like Me by Brad Paisley), I kept getting an error message. I have no idea what the problem was but that put me behind and set the tone for my day. I had to pump, plus make all the food, plus decorate, plus wrap presents, plus get him dressed and everything in between. Luckily, I did have some help but I'll just make a long story short and say that I ended up in tears more than once. I had to re-apply makeup, change clothes again after a food accident and didn't even have time to fix my hair before the party started. Granted, it was only family coming but I still wanted everything to be perfect.

Since his birthday fell on Super Bowl Sunday, I decided to have football food with a Batman theme: pizza, breadsticks, hot wings, nacho chips, buffalo chicken dip, chili cheese dip, salsa, potato chips, ranch dip, cake and ice cream. It was all good but we had so much food left over. Andrew got a lot of things: a new scooter from us, some cars, some clothes, money, a basketball, a cool football tent and a 3 in 1 vacuum (yes, you read that right). His big gift is sitting in our backyard - a new wooden playset. We bought it before Christmas and have been putting it together as the weather permits. It is 95% put together and he has gotten to play on it some. I'll share those pictures one day.

The picture in the last collage above with the toy box and a large picture of Andrew in it was hung this weekend. I had won that picture in a blog giveaway probably 2+ years ago and it had just been rolled up in the closet. My stepdad made a frame for it and it really looks good.

Finally, we had a little party at preschool. I was pretty much exhausted so I was glad it was just a party with cupcakes and friends. His friends sang Happy Birthday to him, ate cupcakes together and we gave them party favor bags. Simple and sweet! Once we got home, Andrew wanted another cupcake before naptime so I allowed it this one time. He decided he wanted to use his new vacuum to clean up his cupcake crumbs.

And, now you are 4!!

6 Months Old

2012-01-31T13:37:00.001-05:00

About Addicyn this month:

Happy 1/2 Year Birthday, sweet girl! You turned 6 months on Sunday while we were out of town visiting family so this post is a couple days late and missing your 6 month sign. You had your well-check appointment this morning and you are doing great. We get to bump you up to Stage 2 foods. You weigh 14 lbs., 8.5 oz., which is 25th percentile. You are 25 in. tall, which is the 25th percentile and your head circumference is 25th percentile as well. You are petite, very consistent and perfectly perfect!

You are sitting alone supervised. You can do it for several minutes but I always stay close by because you aren't doing it completely without face planting just yet. You are so very close though. You found your feet last month and holding onto them is one of your favorite pasttimes. You'll be sucking your feet before long I'm sure. You are rolling all over the place. When I have you on the bed, I have to keep a close eye out for you. You'll be right beside me one minute, and then, you'll be across the bed the next minute. You have also started sleeping on your side. You look so much more comfy sleeping on your side than on your back. You are babbling and squealing non-stop. Lots of noise comes from you these days.

You are still high-maintenance. You know exactly what you want and throw a fit if you don't get it right away. For the most part, you smile and enjoy having people talk to you. We can't go anywhere without people doting over you. So much so that I sometimes get tired of saying thank you over and over but I do feel a huge sense of pride that you are so adored and admired by others. I guess Dad and I did a pretty good job ;-) You are still sleeping great at night but naps are hit and miss. I do think the naps are getting longer but not like those that Andrew always took.

I haven't mentioned this before on the blog but you were born with two capillary hemangiomas. You were born with a tiny one on the back of your head and a larger one on your thigh. We were told they would probably be gone by the time you were 6 months but they are still there and could be there for several more months or years. Once you finally get hair, the one on your head will be covered. I think they make you extra special and whether they disappear or not, it doesn't matter to the people that love you.

You started baby food this past month and you love to eat. So far, you haven't turned your nose up to any of it....even nasty sweet peas. I hope this means you will be my eater - my non-picky eater. I don't think you really have a favorite because you like it all. You are still drinking breastmilk and are drinking 4.5 oz. about every 3.5 hours. I still give you one bottle of formula a day just to help with supply. You are wearing 3 months and 3-6 months clothing and wearing a size 2 diaper. As soon as this last bag of diapers is used, you'll be starting to wear size 3s. Up to this point, you have been sleeping in our room at night in your bassinette. Andrew turns 4 on Sunday and I think we'll probably be moving the monitor from his room into your room. I am certainly not going to rush moving you to your room to the far corner of the house but we'll experiment over this next month.

PS You still have the most gorgeous blue eyes and I am praying they stay that way!!

And now for ~~the outtakes~~ more preciousness:

Famous in a Small Town

2012-01-25T07:42:00.000-05:00

While packing Christmas decorations away a few weeks ago, I found a box (actually I knew it was there but wasn't sure of what was inside) living in the far corner of the bonus room closet. I thought it had my baby book in it so I maneuvered it down to see for myself. There were two baby books and my parents' wedding photos. For some reason, I had been thinking I had two baby books but come to find out, one belonged to my sister. I opened mine just to compare my milestones as a baby to those of Andrew and Addicyn. As I got to the back, I found these newspaper clippings. I remember both of these events occurring so it brought a smile to my face to see them once again.

These photos were taken at the mall during our visit to the traveling petting zoo. It was just prior to me starting kindergarten.

This interview occurred one day while I was at school in kindergarten. I remember being at lunch and they picked a couple of us to go to the office to give our answers. I just wish I remembered exactly what question was asked to elicit such a response. It was probably something like What do you think is the meanest animal alive? Or what animal do you like the least?

Have you ever made the newspaper and what for? I have a few times since these but don't have the clippings handy.

A Little Late to the Party!

2012-01-23T08:31:00.002-05:00

It is 2012 and I have decided to finally join everybody for the 21st century!

After 4 years of having my flip phone, I upgraded to a smartphone. My previous phone was older than Andrew! When it was turned on, it rattled, shook and sounded like it would kill over at any given moment. Actually, one day while getting a massage, I had forgotten to turn it off and it was on vibrate. My therapist and I were having a conversation while all of a sudden we heard a noise. I stopped talking. She stopped talking. I finally said what was that noise? She searched around the room and thought she had rodents munching inside the walls. False alarm. It was my raggedy phone. No wonder I didn't recognize the noise - I never used my phone.

I was long overdue for a phone. Since I didn't know what I was doing with a smartphone, I decided to start on the cheaper end with an Android. There is so much to learn but we are getting there (D got one too).

My question for you:
What practical apps are a must?
Which app do you use the most?
Free apps are a good thing but I would be willing to pay a little something for a great app.

My favorite so far is Out of Milk. I am a list-maker so it helps me with my grocery list and to-do list. Actually, I have already ditched my pen/paper for my Out of Milk grocery list twice! I LOVE IT!!

Not only can you manually type in your grocery items (which it remembers for the future) but you can also scan the barcode for quick entry of a specific product. For example, I scanned the big tub of Quaker Quick 1-minute oatmeal because that is specifically the one that D prefers).

I also really love the Bible app. You can pull up any scripture in the Bible in a ton of different translations too. The really cool part is that you can have it read to you also. A lot of times, I have trouble comprehending so listening to someone read it while I follow along, helps me grasp it a little better.

Now, leave your list of goodies for me to check out! I can't wait to discover a lot of helpful tools. No game apps. though. I have no time for games!

The Tebow Effect

2012-01-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

Unless you live under a rock or just landed on Earth from outer space, you have heard of Tim Tebow. He has unintentionally become a very polarizing public figure over the past several months. He has his lovers and his haters. I happen to be a lover...for many reasons. Do you know his story? If not, I urge you to go HERE. In a nutshell, according to man, he was doomed in utero; he had no chance. He was never expected to survive, thrive or amount to anything but he has overcome the odds and has proven many people wrong time and time again.

Tim Tebow, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways (in no certain order):

1) I'll state the obvious first. He. is. beautiful! Period. Just look at him.

2) He is bold in his faith. While at the U of Florida, he was known for wearing scriptures written in his eye black. That has since been banned in the NFL but that hasn't stopped him. He always give thanks to our Lord, he prays on the field, and talks of his faith openly at every opportunity. No, he isn't the only public figure who is a Christian but I can't think of another who walks the walk like he does.

3) He is an encourager to those around him. He was mic'ed up for their game with the Chicago Bears earlier this year and the whole game, he was encouraging those around him. If his receiver dropped a pass, Tim encouraged him. He didn't gripe and place blame. He encouraged those around him to keep going and keep believing. They won that game!

4) His parents were missionaries in the Phillipines and that is actually where he was born. He has been to the Phillipines doing charity work every summer for something like 15 years. His charity raises money for many organizations but one thing his foundation is doing is building a hospital in the Phillipines, which is set to open in early 2012. For every game, home or away, he invites one person who is fighting a terrible battle with sickness. He spends one-on-one time with them. If you don't read anything else I write from here on out, I implore you to read THIS article. It will save me a few keystrokes because my words could never explain this bullet point enough. I ended up being one snotty, tear drenched mess after reading the article and shared it on FB twice.

5) He is passionate. He puts his heart into everything he does. You can just tell it from the emotion on the field to his off-the-field activities.

6) When others told him he couldn't, he persevered and proved them wrong. The doctors never gave him a chance. They wanted his mother to have an abortion. She refused. There have been so many naysayers when it comes to him being an NFL quarterback. Granted, he isn't the best in the league but you can't measure heart, perserverence, determination, desire, etc. He has it and nobody can take it away.

7) Whether you believe public figures should be role models or not, they are. Tim Tebow has morals *gasp*. He is exactly the kind of person I want Andrew to watch and model his life after. He is exactly the kind of person I would want Addicyn to marry. He is making news for all the positive choices he has decided to make in life.

I could go on but I won't. In a time, where society idolizes a freak show like Lady Gaga and an attention-hungry Kim Kardashian, Tim Tebow is a breath of fresh air. Yet, people criticize him at every turn. The term Tebowing was born and while it was never his intention to gain glory for himself, it has turned into something that makes me sick. When bikini-clad girls are doing it and it is being done insincerely, it is nothing more than making a mockery out of it and I have a real big problem with that. Then, you have the Atheists on their warpath...I won't even go there because they disgust me as much as Tebow disgusts them.

Tim's season may have ended on Saturday night but I can assure you that there is more to his life than football. Whether he succeeds in the NFL or not, I guarantee he is going to be successful in life. He is shining God's light in this dark world and people are taking note. People are looking up those scriptures, people are reading more about his life and he is a living example of what we should all strive to be. The devil and atheists are shaking in their boots. If only we could all be so bold in our faith. I have a lot of work to do myself.

Keep on keeping on Tim! You have already touched so many lives!

Cleaning Up Picasa

2012-01-11T09:25:00.001-05:00

and look what I found!

Just after she rolled over for the first time!

He thinks he must wear his bicycle helmet to play soccer! He's very serious about it.

I'm going to be a Big brother ----> I'm a great Big brother!

The takeover that occurs every morning!

Andrew loves to show Addicyn his toys. It makes him proud!

Our little bubble-blower!

Having a little chat about brother/sister stuff.

Where will these little feet take you?

My sweet little sleeping angel...

Firsts

2012-01-06T07:13:00.001-05:00

My mom convinced me that the first day of January, the first day of 2012 would be a perfect day to give Addicyn her first meal of rice cereal and baby food. For some reason, I decided to go forward and soon started whipping up the cereal and bananas...through tears.

She wasn't particularly crazy about her first taste of real food. I think part of the problem was that she was already mad because she was past the point of being hungry and it took me even longer to prepare her food. Since then, she has eaten applesauce, green peas (ewww), carrots and more bananas. She LOVES carrots. She still isn't a fan of the rice cereal.

The first day of 2012 also brought a first for Andrew. My dad bought us tickets to a Carolina basketball game. We have waited on taking him to sporting events (except one spring practice football game and one baseball game) because we didn't feel like he would sit still. My dad said he would get up and walk him around if he didn't sit still so I agreed that we would go. Andrew had a great time and did better than I expected. When he started to get restless, I diverted his attention by looking for Ramses (the mascot). He loves Ramses and wanted a picture with him but we didn't get to make that happen. We did get to go courtside before and after the game for some pictures of his first game.

This wasn't his first time celebrating a Carolina win in The Dean Dome though. When he was a mere 14 months old, we celebrated Carolina's 2009 National Championship. Unfortuntely, he doesn't remember that though.

I see many more Carolina games in his future!

5 Months Old

2011-12-30T10:49:00.000-05:00

About Addicyn this month:

You turned 5 months yesterday! No well-baby checkups this month so no statistics but I'm guessing you are hovering around 14 lbs. by now. You seem really big to me but Andrew was small and you are even smaller so I know that isn't the case. You are just growing up way too fast for me. Please slow down - there is no hurry, I promise!

After the last update, I really started forcing tummy time and you started tolerating it better. I wouldn't say you like it but you can last longer on your tummy before getting mad. You hit a couple of milestones this past month. While on your tummy, you rolled over to your back but since that is the easy way, I didn't really count that as the official roll over day. However, on Dec. 20th, you rolled from your back to your tummy. You are such a little stinker though. You waited until I was downstairs and just as soon as da-da walked out of the room to do it. He found you on your tummy just looking around like nothing had happened. He called me upstairs, I grabbed my camera to catch the action and you wouldn't do it. Until, once again, we both walked out of the room. Finally about 3.5 hours after your first roll, I got to witness it with my own eyes. You have also found your feet. I'm undecided if I want to count it as official yet or not. You grab them but they don't hold your attention for very long. Still, you found your feet! You are saying mm mm mm so mama has to be your first word, right? ;) When you cry, it sounds just like you are saying maaaa-ma. Dad agrees. You love blowing bubbles, chewing on your hands and drooling. Also, feedings are getting more difficult because you want to sit up to see what's going on around you. You are way more interested in your surroundings than milk.

You are full of personality already. Goodness...you are a happy baby with smiles for everyone but you are finicky, high maintenance and tempermental. If you don't like something, we all know about it. You love your brother and he loves you. He spends a lot of time dancing around, making faces or noises trying to make you laugh and you don't hold back. It makes me smile and laugh seeing y'all interact. Y'all are so cute together and I hope this love and closeness lasts a lifetime.

You are definitely a mama's girl. You have all sorts of little contraptions to keep you content but nothing makes you more happy than when mama is in your sight. If I walk out of the room for more than a few seconds, the tears start flowing. With Andrew, I got frustrated when he did that. Now if I start to get frustrated because I can't get anything done, I just remember that one day I will miss you wanting me around all the time. And, I'm pretty certain this is my last go around so I'm not letting these moments slip away. I'll come back in to soothe you and wait for you to slip back into a sweet slumber and I try again. You are certainly not a napper. Whoa! I'm lucky if you nap for 45 minutes. You remind me of my college days - power napping. Da-da says you take after me when it comes to naps anyway because I don't like naps and even fight sleep. I think he's on to something. Thank goodness you sleep through the night!

You are very ticklish (not as ticklish as Andrew though) and you have a spot in the center of your forehead that turns purple when you hold your breath or laugh. It is also becoming more obvious that you inherited the trademark Hall ears. Luckily, one day you'll have hair to cover them but I love seeing them because they remind me of my Grandpa Troy, for whom you were named.

Finally, you are drinking 4.5 oz. every 3-4 hours. I just recently started trying to spread your feedings out a little. I have not started you on cereal or baby food yet because...I am not going to rush anything this go around. I can't stand the thoughts of losing my baby so although the doctor said I could start you at 4 months, I haven't. I plan to do that within the next few days though *sigh* On that same note, you are still sleeping in our room and the thoughts of moving you to your crib nearly makes me sick on my stomach. Maybe around 6 months I'll move you to your own room. Maybe not. You are wearing size 3 months or 3-6 months clothing and a size 2 diaper.

This month, you celebrated your First Christmas and had your first studio portraits made. We got some good ones that I'll share later!

And now for the outtakes:

I want a cat nap and for you to stop this picture-taking nonsense!

After the nap which surprisingly last TWO HOURS!

Wearing her first clippy hairbow! She only had a little sprout of hair and it's not even enough to hold the hairbow in.

Christmas

2011-12-28T10:30:00.002-05:00

Christmas this year was ok. Nothing really to write about.

I have been in a funk for going on almost 3 months now. That funk was diagnosed a couple weeks ago: sinusitis, bronchitis and pink eye. As I typed about before, our family has been sick off and on since the beginning of October and have been passing it amongst ourselves. It has certainly put a damper on our holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas). I haven't been in any kind of Christmas spirit and I regret that mainly for Andrew and Addicyn, although she is too young to even know. We hardly went to church during the month of December due to the sickness everywhere and I thoroughly missed singing Christmas songs. The radio plays too many of the secular Christmas songs so I tend to listen to very little of it. I sent Dwight out to buy all of the gifts and by gifts, I mean gift cards for everybody. I didn't even feel like going out to shop for anybody. Most of what the kids got was purchased online. What I am most disappointed in is that I didn't emphasize the real meaning of Christmas. I did...but I probably allowed Andrew to emphasize more Santa than I normally would. I did think that our house decorations looked the best this year of any year so far, we went to two Christmas parties, had Christmas photos made of the kids (though exceptionally later than ever), we made the annual Santa visit, went to church on Christmas morning and Andrew was thrilled with it all. It was a nice Christmas but I hope next year we'll all be blessed with better health. This fall/winter has really taken its toll.

Santa came!

Andrew only asked Santa for a Batman house (aka Batman cave) and Santa delivered. He got a soccer ball and football plus some winter shirts from mom and dad. I like to stick to the 3 gift rule on Christmas morning to minimize the materialistic side of Christmas. I'm combining the balls as one gift this year. He got a ton of things from the grandparents and aunt/cousins. A cool chore chart, movies, a Carolina hoodie, bike helmet, games, puzzles and money are just a sampling.

Santa brought Penny some chew toys as well.

We had the hardest time trying to think of what to get Addicyn. She has a closet full of clothes, she has plenty of hand-me-down toys from Andrew and just about everything a 4 month old could ever need. I decided to buy her the Praise Baby DVD Collection gift set, Baby Legs and a ball popper toy. Hopefully, she got two things that will keep her occupied since she is NOT a napper!

After church on Christmas Day

She got a new swing since her other one died, a Bumbo seat w/ tray, stuffed animals, bath toys and money.

Dwight and I didn't exchange gifts but that really isn't anything new. What is new is that I got myself something super nice and counted it as my Easter, Mother's Day, Anniversary, Push present, Birthday, Christmas gift and anything other gift I can claim it as. Dwight is really wanting a new cell phone and when our contract is up in January, he'll be getting his Christmas gift...just a little delayed! I guess I'll be getting of those too! I bought my present online on cyber Monday and saved about $500. Not too shabby...

I'm slowly learning how to use it. My pictures might not be the best ever but they look a lot better than the ones I took just one month ago!

Christmas 2011 is over! Now on to 2012!

From Our House to Yours

2011-12-25T07:00:00.005-05:00

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2:4-14

Through the Years

2011-12-16T08:00:00.003-05:00

We have a few traditions that we try to carry out every year. I'm a huge fan of documenting our lives through photos and one of my favorite things to do is to look back through the years and compare the changes we all make.

Last weekend, we decided to take the kids to see Santa. I knew it was a dumb idea from the beginning but because we've all been so sick these past few weeks, we haven't had an opportunity to go. I sure didn't want to miss doing it. We got dressed Saturday morning and drove to the really big mall in Raleigh. After we survived Dwight driving around in circles before finding a parking space, we then got out of the car and headed into the mall only to find out there was no elevator in the parking deck. There has to be one somewhere but we never did find the darn thing. I was not feeling great already and these two things nearly pushed me over the edge. I didn't exude much Christmas joy or any joy for that matter. We carried the stroller down the stairs and into the mall we went. We made it to Santa and Dwight commented that the line wasn't too bad. We were both pretty shocked that there were probably only 10 kids in front of us. As we entered the line, we approached a lady with a laptop set up. She asked if we had joined the virtual line. In a confused voice, I replyed no. We've never had to do that before. She took our information and told us the wait was four hours. Yes! FOUR HOURS because there were 50 people ahead of us in the virutal line. Needless to say, we said forget that.

Wednesday, Dwight was off work so we decided to try again after we picked Andrew up from preschool. I called the number while we were on the road and at that point, there was only 1 person in front of us so we didn't join the virtual line. We got to the mall and no line. Ok, there were two senior citizens sitting on Santa's lap and two siblings in front of us. There were no tears, no flailing around and we even got a decent picture. Andrew ran up to Santa and hugged him. I missed that part while trying to get out of the fence so I could snap a few pictures of my own. Andrew told Santa what he wanted for Christmas - a Batman house and nothing more. Santa will probably be able to fill that request.

From 2008-2010, there was only one little boy. In 2011, we added a little girl to the Santa photo. Here's a quick walk down memory lane:

What a Difference a Year Makes

2011-12-12T07:45:00.003-05:00

From

I remember one year ago just like it was yesterday....except it was 365 days ago! I was a little surprised to see the two lines and word pregnant but was immediately in love and thoughts of our baby infiltrated my mind around the clock. One year later....that hasn't changed but our lives certainly have been!

I'm Turning Into My Mom

2011-12-06T10:39:00.001-05:00

With each passing year, I see it in the things I do and how I do them. I hear it in the things I say.

I am becoming my mom.

I think back to those days in the 80s when my sister and I would fuss from the back seat about the music my parents were listening to. We had a station back home, Magic 99.5, that played my parents' music from the 60s/70s. We thought we were being tortured listening to that music back then. Now, I enjoy listening to 80s/90s. Andrew isn't old enough to complain or know the difference but it will happen one day.

I remember being a young girl and getting around my mom and her acquaintances. Somebody was bound to say either They grow up so fast or I remember when you were born. Internally, I was rolling my eyes but how many times have I said it since I hit motherhood. It's so cliché but so true and I see that everyday.

I am generally not a trend follower. Granted, I'm in my early 30s but the trends I see the younger generation wearing are ridiculous. The other day, we were pulling into church and I saw a girl walking in wearing something hideous. (Yes, I was judging) I made some comment that I would never let Addicyn wear something like that (and I wouldn't, especially to church). A quick conversation ensued about my mom and me clashing over the things I wore. I piped up and told Dwight my mom wanted me to wear ugly stuff when I was growing up and he reminded me that Addicyn would probably think the same thing about me.

I was raised a sheltered, Southern Baptist lifestyle. I don't regret 99% of it either because I was raised with values - something that is lacking in today's society for the most part. Most people would say I'm a prude. I agree. It's intentional.

My mom is a workaholic and perfectionist. I am too! In some areas, she is worse than me. In a lot of areas, I'm worse than she is. Either way, you can tell I am her daughter!

As I get older, I get wiser just like everybody else. Since my 20s, I have started recognizing just how smart my mom was/is. I find myself repeating some of the very things she used to say but now, I get it. I know I am right because I now know my mom was right.

I used to get so mad and grossed out when my mom would lick her finger to wipe stuff off my face. I am slightly embarrassed to say that although I promised I would never do such a nasty mom-thing to my children, I have. Even if only occasionally, I have because sometimes, there just isn't a wipe handy.

My mom cannot leave the house without forgetting some thing! You would think after almost 4 years of mommyhood, I would have it figured out that I need a diaper bag no matter how long I plan to be gone or no matter where I am going. How many times have I forgotten to grab diapers or a bottle before jetting out of the house? The other weekend, the kids and I drove 2 hours west to see my family. Before I even made it out of our subdivision, I remembered...I had packed everybody's clothes, which equalled the whole house including the kitchen sink yet I forgot to even pack shirts for myself. Back home, I drove.

Ever called somebody every name of every person you know except for their birth name? Happening to me. I have been calling Andrew by my nephew's name a lot lately!! So before I actually make it around to calling him Andrew, he gets called...Addicyn, Dwight, Penny, Preston and Bailey...at least!!

Overall, this quote fits!

4 Months Old

2011-11-30T14:35:00.001-05:00

About Addicyn this month:

You turned 4 months old yesterday and it really seems just like yesterday when my contractions were starting. This morning at your well-check appointment, you weighed in at 12 lbs., 12.5 oz., which is the 25th percentile. You still weigh almost 2lbs. less than Andrew did at the same age. You are 24 in. long (30th percentile).

You are still taking the reflux medicine and I think it has helped some. You are still gassy but (oops there you go again) not quite as bad as before. You are developmentally right on target. You don't like tummy time but I am ~~pushing~~ encouraging you daily to stay there a little longer. You are getting better at it and have even slept like that for short 30 minute periods (with close supervision from me, of course). You finally laid up against me with your head on my chest for the first time last week and dozed off while I rocked you. I haven't felt that since Andrew and it made me so happy. You have just preferred to reclined in my arms while held close. You are really observant and now enjoy sitting up to look at the things going on around you. We have been propping you up in the corner of the sofa lately. You smile a lot but you do have a temper and everybody knows when you aren't satisfied.

You are interacting more with Andrew - offering lots of smiles when he talks to you or acts silly. The other day, while drinking your bottle, you completely stopped drinking when you heard his voice and you wanted to see what he was doing. You are still attempting to hold your bottle though you prefer to hold it right up around the nipple/lid area. It's a little too heavy for you to do it alone. You love holding mommy's hands or fingers when you eat or sleep. It soothes you and ahhh it is such the sweetest feeling for me. You are talking a lot and sometimes you get so animated that you end up in more of a little squeal. Your paci is good but your fingers are too! You still like a bath and are splashing a lot more!

You are wearing a size 2 diaper and 3 month or 3-6 month clothes. You are drinking 4.5oz. at each feeding. Meemaw thinks that isn't enough but Dr. Garrish said that sometimes babies with reflux will drink less. You are growing so you are getting exactly what you need. I will go on your cues and my intuition. Last week, you had your first bout with sickness - croup and congestion. You are sleeping through the night and will wake around 6am wanting your paci. Either I pull your bed over beside ours so I can hold your hand or we'll put you in our bed for a short time. Your first feeding is at 7:30am.

In this past month, we've celebrated your Baby Dedication and your first Thanksgiving. Halloween wasn't a big deal but you at least let me put the costume on....it just didn't stay on long. We also had family pictures made and your sweet face will grace the front of our Christmas card this year. You are just one of our many blessings but definifely one of my greatest!! We love you, sweet girl!

And now for the outtakes:

Let's Play Catch Up!

2011-11-28T09:36:00.001-05:00

That blogging break was unplanned and rather unexpected. I would say it was part busyness and part ~~laziness~~ I have a minute but I don't feel like typing anything.

We switch up Thanksgiving each year. This year we were to have Thanksgiving with D's mom so we went to see my family the weekend before Thanksgiving. I made my usual (sweet potato casserole and cranberry salad) plus added corn pudding (my first attempt was successful).

I had also been trying to schedule professional portraits for that weekend also but got frustrated and gave up when the girl never would give me a quote on how much she charged. Before I made a decision, I needed to know if I could afford her. If I could, I had to get outfits and our own props together. I decided I wasn't chasing that rabbit any more so she lost my possible business. My dad and Sharon went with us to two locations (Childress Vineyards and Bob Timberlake Gallery) in Lexington, NC to snap some photos for us. I would share but they are for our Christmas cards. I'll share after the cards are sent out. Not that they are THAT spectacular but I don't want our cards to be old news if you happen to receive one.

Andrew went to the dentist and to my surprise, he has a complete set of teeth now but I have an incomplete teething chart in his baby book. I have been waiting on those last molars to pop through. Obviously they didn't cause him any pain.

He started getting sick on Sunday night but I thought it was just a cold so I took him on to the dentist Monday morning. By Monday evening, I started to think it was something more...like pink eye. However, I thought pink eye was only in one eye. I'll skip the details but we held him out of preschool on Tuesday and he missed his Thanksgiving party. I researched and determined it was indeed pink eye. The doctor called in prescription eye drops. On Wednesday, he was physically in the doctor's office and diagnosed with double ear infection. He got the good pink bubble gum medicine (aka Amoxicillin) I used to love as a child.

Addicyn started coughing on Sunday morning and she soon sounded like a barking dog. Croup. Congestion. Nothing really to do except use a humidifier and keep an eye on her breathing. A week later, she's finally getting better...I think.

Monday was such a nice day here so I ended up blowing the leaves off our yard and my neighbor, Rick, was nice enough to come help me after he finished his. But not before Andrew got to play in them for a little bit. Dad and Addicyn ran through a time or two as well.

Thanksgiving Day we drove south to spend a few hours with D's mom. D was feeling bad so when we got home, he took medicine and went to bed at 8:30pm. I got so much accomplished over the next 3.5 hours. D woke up on Friday and felt miserable but he had to work from 7am-6pm. I felt terrible for him. I cleaned house on Friday and even put our down comfortable on the bed. We've had short cold spells and it will warm right back up so this is definitely the latest I've put it on the bed.

Saturday at 3:45am, I woke up with a raging sore throat and my day went downhill. I couldn't sleep because of my throat but Addicyn was restless too. I gargled with Listerine, checked on both kids, checked the thermostat, got a cough drop from downstairs, checked on Addicyn about 5 times before I decided to pull her bed right beside mine. I merely dozed off and on until I finally got up at 7:30am.

By 11am, I was counting the minutes until D got home. At naptime, I tried to get Addicyn to nap as well. I was freezing so I took a hot shower and even washed my hair. By 4pm, I felt like dying. When D came home, I got in bed and slept off and on. I was freezing and burning up at the same time, felt like I had a fever, had a headache, terrible sore throat and was aching all over. My mom said they were coming. They drove two hours and brought some home-canned tomatoes. I ate those two times before I called it a night.

Church was out of the question on Sunday. D and I weren't well but we felt better.

I have never really understood resolution. I'm in the market for a new DSLR camera so I've been reading up on it a tad. After two years of having my point and shoot, which has nearly been destroyed by Andrew, I figured out last night that I have had it on the wrong setting - the worst possible setting for picture taking. It has 10 megapixels and I've been shooting with it at 0.3?? or something like that. I'm interested to see the difference in the next set of pictures I order from shutterfly. The last ones I ordered for Addicyn's baby book were almost useless.

I haven't even started thinking about Christmas yet. We might get our decorations up on Thursday when Dwight is off work.

Addicyn's Baby Dedication Service

2011-11-17T07:30:00.003-05:00

Three weeks ago when I went to my church back home, there was an announcement in the bulletin regarding the upcoming Baby Dedication service. When I returned home, I mentioned it to Dwight and he was able to adjust his work schedule so we could take part. I started searching the internet for a gown for Addicyn to wear but my mom mentioned that her pastor's wife crocheted dedication gowns. I wasn't really interested because I had seen them online. I was more interested in the gowns that look like little wedding dresses. Because one would have to be ordered, I told my mom to go ahead and buy the crocheted gown.  It would save me stress in wondering if an ordered gown would make it in time. My mom wanted to buy the dress for Addicyn to keep as an heirloom and eventually pass on if she has a daughter. It came with booties and a bonnet but because I didn't want my little girl looking Amish, I decided to order a headband online just in case. (The Etsy shop owner will be getting a negative review because although it was already made, I ordered it one week ahead of time and the shop owner lives less than 1 hour from me, it didn't arrive in time!!)

Saturday morning, the little ones and I headed west. Dwight had to work so he planned to come later. Once we got there, I saw the gown and thought it was nice but I wasn't really excited about it. Addicyn could at least wear it! She soon started throwing a fit and it lasted for at least a hour. We determined that she was/is teething or at least, it feels like there is a tooth coming through. She isn't even 4 months yet!! I also had to go shopping to find myself a dress to wear. Who knew all of the events leading up to the dedication could be so stressful. I was on the verge of just saying forget it but it wasn't about how we looked.  Instead, it was about making a vow to raise her in a Christian home, teaching her about Christ and being the parents He would have us to be.

Once we put the dress on Addicyn Sunday morning, my mind changed. She was just beautiful. I was so stressed that I was almost sick though. Luckily, she was on her best behavior and we made it through the service without even as much as a peep from her.  There were six little girls dedicated ranging in age from almost 3 years old to 3 months old. Addicyn was the youngest. She received a dedication booklet and a pink New Testament Bible. All of my immediate family was able to attend so that made it even more special.

Now for a barrage of pictures:

Just Because

2011-11-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

She loves bathtime!

He loves to clean!

He's watched mommy do it enough that he knows exactly what to do.

She does not like tummy time BUT she lasted over one hour this day. Of course, she did fall asleep but at least she was calm enough to go to sleep.

I confess this was not taken on Halloween because I forgot about this Baby's First Halloween sleep sack. Andrew wore it as well.

Mommy says I'm sweet.

My heart almost explodes when I see her smile so big she can hardly contain herself! Pure love!

Happy Thursday!

One Week Late

2011-11-08T07:30:00.001-05:00

Halloween....one week, one day ago.

Take it or leave it. Debate it or celebrate it.

My least favorite holiday - if you can call it a holiday - but I still choose to let my kids minimally celebrate it. My rule is nothing scary, gory, no monsters, ghosts, etc. but I am ok with carving a few Disney characters or religious symbols into pumpkins and letting my kids dress up for two hours a year. If you are convicted otherwise, that is between you and God.

This year it rained. It poured. I was secretly happy that we would have a reason to skip Halloween 2011. Then, I put my desires aside and thought about how Andrew would feel about not going. Obviously, Addicyn was oblivious to it all but Andrew kept asking when we were going. At 5pm when I didn't think we would be going out, I allowed him to go ahead and put his costume on. We'd already bought the thing so he might as well enjoy it and I might as well use that time to take some pictures. Addicyn was not a fan of her costume. I had already decided that even if Andrew went trick or treating, Addicyn would be staying home with me. Luckily, I didn't buy her a $49 costume from PB Kids because she was not having it. She cooperated long enough for me to snap some pictures and off it came.

When Dwight came home, we decided to take Andrew to a few houses in the neighborhood. Ten was the limit I set just so he could get his own candy that didn't have nuts in it (We had plenty of candy in the house - too bad I like candy bars with nuts and he does not). I wrapped Addicyn up in a blanket and held her as we drove around the neighborhood stopping at random houses. Dwight got out with the umbrella and walked Andrew to the houses. It seemed like it took forever to finally make it to the tenth house.

All in all, Andrew had a good time in the pouring rain and that's all that mattered to me.

Down on a Different Farm in 2011

2011-11-04T10:57:00.001-04:00

Last week, Andrew's preschool had a field trip to a local animal farm but since we had just recently been to the zoo, I decided to hold him back. Instead, I planned a family trip to another local farm that had many activities and is widely popular. Our weekends have just been filled in some way or another this fall so it was the perfect day to go since D was off work too.

Looking at the goats and chickens

Dad and Andrew enjoying the slide. I'm too claustrophobic so I passed.

How tall (or short) this fall?

Enjoying her day at the farm!

In the hay jump

In the cornhouse. It was definitely my favorite - corn foot massage

Dad and his little girl

Andrew enjoying the train ride

The best I could do for a pumpkin patch picture. Somebody was getting hungry.

Typical Andrew being his silly self.

Once we got back to the car, I had to feed Addicyn and then, she had a blow out diaper. Andrew was sacked out long before we ever left the farm. He slept until we stopped in our old town to eat at a favorite restaurant. We had a great time and look forward these outings every year.

Christmas Already?!?!

2011-11-02T10:10:00.002-04:00

Yes, it is nearing that time of year already! The stores are decorated or getting there, people are talking about Christmas music being played and I saw my first Christmas-related commerical just yesterday. It seems like yesterday that I was announcing my pregnancy on the day after Christmas and here I have a 3 month old lying beside me as I type. Time is flying and it will be here before we know it but one of the first things I do to get in the holiday spirit is to look at Christmas card templates and think about photo options.

Once again, Shutterfly is offering FREE Christmas cards to bloggers. I participated last year and the cards were absolutely amazing! The quality was outstanding - heavy cardstock, folded, bright colors and everything to be proud of when sending to family and friends. This is the card I chose last year and received so many compliments!

Not only have I used Shutterfly for our Christmas cards but because I was so pleased with their quality and service, I have since purchased cards/announcements from them 2 other times in the past year.

They have a large selection of birthday invitations. Andrew wanted a Superman theme, and Shutterfly came to the rescue with these awesome invites. Andrew loved them!

(obviously I was too lazy to scan Andrew's actual invite so this one will have to do)

I also decided to send out birth announcements upon Addicyn's arrival. I wanted something simple yet elegant and something she can look back on over the years and be proud. This one screams elegantly girly but not baby-ish, and that was my goal.

Shutterfly really does have great Christmas cards and other holiday cards too but they aren't just one dimensional. They also have calendars (wall, desk, poster) in which you can add photos. You can also personalize gifts by adding your favorite photos. And, who wouldn't love to receive a photo book as a gift? They have those too! They can meet many needs, and the best part is that you can shop from the comfort of your own home.

Now, I must get busy narrowing my list of favorites. They have over 900 cards to choose from and I'm not even kidding. Go look for yourself! Decisions, decisions but fun decisions! If you would like to get 25 FREE cards, register here and cross your fingers.

3 Months Old

2011-10-31T08:17:00.000-04:00

About Addicyn this month:

No well-check appts. this month so I'm not sure how much you weigh but you are growing before our eyes. Some evenings dad comes in from work and says you look like you've grown just since he left home. I think you are currently going through another growth spurt because you can't seem to eat enough.

Since the last report, there have been a lot of changes. Unfortunately, you were diagnosed with acid reflux and are now taking medicine. You are still the gasiest little thing I've ever seen or smelled but most days, you don't seem to be quite as uncomfortable. If nothing more, the medicine has helped with your feedings and fussiness. Thankfully, your case is milder than Andrew's. It has caused some nasal congestion but otherwise, we can't complain.

You started sleeping through the night at 9 weeks, 4 days! Oh happy day but we thought you were being a tease there for a little while. You slept through the night for 5 nights straight and then started waking up in the middle of the night for 5 nights. Luckily, that was short-lived, and we realized it was your inability to sleep well with the congestion. Some days you are a good napper, and other days, you are doing the 15 minute nap routine.

Andrew continues to be a great big brother. He likes to show you off to Ms. Erika when he gets picked up at preschool. I'm pretty certain you love your brother too by the way you smile at him. He has even started baby talk with you - often saying hey girl in a high pitched voice like mommy does. So cute! He is really wanting you to sleep in his bed with him but I'm still pretty sure that wouldn't be a good idea ;-)

We recently moved you up to 4 oz. at each feeding since you acted like you were starving. I have also successfully stretched your feedings from 2 to 3 hours apart. Because of the gas and fussiness, I started buying specialized formula just for those issues although I only give you one bottle of formula per day. Sadly, you have moved from the 4 oz. bottles to the 8 oz. bottles. It made my heart tighten as it is just another sign of you growing up way too fast but it was either that or leaky bottles per Dr. Brown's warnings. You are still wearing a size 1 diaper but on the next package to be opened, you will move to a size 2. You are mostly wearing size 3 months clothes although you can still wear some 0-3 months clothing too. You are one happy baby most of the time. You smile a lot and talk a lot too! You love getting a bath and have started kicking a lot resulting in lots of splashes. You are NOT a fan of tummy time. I try but you just throw a fit and the big crocodile tears flow. You are a huge fan of your pacifier and sleeping with your arms stretched above your head.

You went to your first football game to see Cousin Preston play. You also went to the zoo for the first time on October 22 but you pretty much slept through it all minus lunch. You also went to your first farm and pumpkin patch. When we are out and about, we get a lot of comments on how precious (or 50 other adjectives) you are. Admirers always comment on how alert you are, too! We are so proud to call you our own. Some days I wonder how in the world I was blessed to have such beautiful babies. My heart is so full...

And now for the outtakes:

Uh Mom, I can't see!

You've already taken 13 pictures! Stop calling my name, dancing around and making weird noises or I'm going to lose it. Seriously!

I warned you!

Let's just say that taking these photos was a bit more challenging. Either Addicyn was knocking/rolling over the sign, her flower headband was falling, she was slumping, she was drooling, she wasn't looking at me or something. I aggravated her enough and she did in fact, pitch a fit. We took a short break and were back at it. After the break, I tied a small knot in the headband and voila! Love the flower headband? Me too! I bought it from Amy's Etsy shop. She is one of the craftiest people I know and does extraordinary work. She custom made the headband for me based on my color choice and size. She was super fast with the shipping. Go visit her!

Football, Family & Friends

2011-10-27T07:30:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, my nephew suffered a concussion while playing football. Preston is a freshman linebacker on his high school junior varsity team. At the ER, he was diagnosed with a mild concussion and that automatically resulted in no football action for a week. Once the week was up, he had to take a computer test to determine his eligibility. The only problem was that he failed it. He took it again and failed it once again. Because concussions are taken more seriously now, he was not allowed to play until he passed the test but his reaction times continued to slip. He complained of no headaches or other complications so the head trainer was concerned that the test was inaccurate. He was referred to a neurologist who then sent him for a MRI. After missing three games and many practices, he was allowed to play in his final home game of the season last Thursday night. Andrew, Addicyn and I planned to go. It was Andrew and Addicyn's first football game. My mom, stepdad and dad also were there to cheer Preston on as well as my sister and nephew. Not only did he immediately step right back into his starting position but he was also named Captain that night. The only downside to the night was the final score. Seems everybody forgot how to tackle except Preston, who recorded (at least) 4 tackles.

Preston is #25 (my sister's cell phone photo).

And Andrew said he didn't like "chachos and cheese."

Andrew loves his Preston.

The "All Boy" Cousins Club (Andrew, Bailey & Preston) after the game.

On Friday, I felt pretty crummy with this lingering sinus yuck so we just hung around my mom's house all day. I had plans to pick up some crafting items at Hobby Lobby but decided to go another day. My sister and the boys came over and we just spent a lot of time together as a family. My mom made homemade soup and turnip greens (two of my cool weather favorites).

On Saturday, I had plans to meet up with my friend from graduate school, Anne Marie, at the zoo. She was bringing her 2.5 year old nephew and I had my two youngins'. Normally, we start in North America but this time, we decided to start in Africa. In all the times I've been to the zoo, this was the best viewing I've ever had of the animals. Almost all of them were out and most of them were even up close. I was a little concerned that it was too cool out for us since the As had both been congested and my sinus issues. We dressed warmly and it turned out to be a perfect day.

Andrew and Connor in the Elephant Tracking Helicopter.

Three of the chimps sat right in front of this glass while we were there. Andrew made a very blunt comment about the chimps' body parts while looking at them and the older ladies nearby gave him a look of disbelief. They must not have raised little boys.

Two little monkeys on the backs of two little monkeys.

Our zoo guide plotting out our path.

This was Addicyn's first trip to the zoo. She slept through most of it though.

It didn't take Connor and Andrew long to become friends.

We left the zoo and later that night, I went to buy my crafting supplies at Hobby Lobby. We'll see how my project turns out. I might share it with y'all.

On Sunday, we went to church and then my whole family gathered for lunch. When I say my whole family, I mean my dad, Sharon, my mom, my stepdad, my sister, my two nephews, Andrew, Addicyn and me. My brother-in-law was working and Dwight couldn't make the trip since he had to work on Friday so they weren't there. We went to visit my Grandma in the nursing home and then it was on the road again to come back home. We missed dad and Penny but we sure hated to leave our family.

What Are Your Accomplishments?

2011-10-25T07:08:00.000-04:00

I have a lot on my mind. I often write posts in my head but they never make it into Blogger.

I am staying busy and still adjusting to life with two little ones. The transition hasn't been that hard except fitting everything into one day. I don't know where those 24 hours are hiding because it seems like there are fewer than 12 most days. The hardest part for me is getting everything accomplished that I want. Most people would come into my house and think it is clean but by my standards, it is not. I have had to let some things go for the sake of my sanity. I have also been spending a lot more time just sitting around with Addicyn - holding and rocking her longer during her feedings, gazing into her eyes, having conversations with her, laughing and smiling with her. I've even sat to watch movies with Andrew and built train tracks with him even when I had a gazillion things on my to-do list. I didn't do enough of that when he was smaller because I had so much to do. While some days I don't feel like I'm accomplishing anything, D reminds me that our children are my accomplishments and not whether the house is spotless or not. Granted, I still want my house to be clean but I'm quickly learning that our days are fleeting and we can't get them back. Our children don't stay small forever!

I have a new perspective because Addicyn could very well be our last child. I am trying to soak it all in because I can't bottle it up. Some days I want another child and other days, I wonder why in the world I would even entertain the thought. I have gotten even more sentimental than before and it has consumed my thoughts....a lot. I remember going to Raleigh a week after I had Addicyn and driving past the hospital exit. I told D it made me sad because the last time I had been that way, I was going to give birth. You spend so much time driving the same route month after month, week after week going to those checkups, and then,f it all abruptly ends. Happily, of course, in most cases but still it ends. I sobbed the entire 45 minute trip home that day mainly because of the knowledge that it was probably the last time I would ever give birth.

This is completely horrible or at least some will think so but I'm just being honest. I almost feel terrible for even saying this but I am envious of those who are announcing they are pregnant. It's not that I'm not happy for them but it's just that I'm sad for myself. Selfish? Yes. It is especially selfish of me being that I just had a happy, healthy baby less than 3 months ago and have a beautiful 3 year old too. There are people out there who will never have children but not having another is what makes me sad for myself.

You might be saying, just have another baby then but I am also one of those who tries to be financially responsible and for many reasons, I'm not sure that a third is the right thing to do. All of this to say that I am trying really hard to spend more one-on-one time with both of my kids. The housework won't do itself and will still be waiting on me unfortunately but my babies need me and want my time. They deserve it too!

Now for a little pick-me-up and two of the reasons I am so in love with my life...

Fall Fun

2011-10-13T08:01:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, we headed west for a fun and family-filled weekend! My mom's employer was having Family Day for their employees and their family members. Last year, our plans fell through and we didn't get to go. Andrew was really looking forward to riding the train this year and secretly, I was excited for him.

The picnic was held at Denton Farm Park where there are old buildings including a general store, post office, gas station, grist mill, church, etc. The full-size steam train's track is 1.5 miles around the park. There was a lot of...

...bouncing and sliding in the bounce houses.

...cuddling and being spoiled by Meemaw.

...smiling for the camera and hanging out with Cousin Bailey.

...train riding - to be exact, 3 times for Andrew.

...riding a train for the first time and being totally cute while doing it.

...perfect blue skies.

...old buildings including this plantation home.

...eating especially cotton candy although Andrew claimed he didn't like it.

...and being my silly but oh so sweet boy.

On Sunday, my mom's family had their annual family reunion. I haven't been in YEARS! I don't even remember the last time I went but am pretty sure I haven't been since I've been with Dwight so that makes 14 years plus. I just happened to be in town this weekend because going wasn't planned. Of course, my mom wanted to show off her grandbabies so I obliged and went. My 3rd cousin and I were pregnant at the same time. She was due about a week after me and we had our babies on the same day. She had Baby E about 11 hours after I had Addicyn. We talked and compared notes. The biggest difference - this is her first baby and my second. "The paparazzi found us" I told her as we were surrounded by 5 cameras flashing multiple times at different times. Who knew where to look?!?!? Even the babies were looking in a totally different direction!

We had a great weekend! I just wish I could be home with my family every weekend! Andrew does too - he asked my mom if we could move in their house with them. "I like _______ (their town). I don't like _______ (our town)," he told her. Wish I could help him with that but right now, we are stuck in __________ (our town).

Because I Have Mommy Brain

2011-10-12T09:19:00.001-04:00

Yes, Addicyn is over two months old now and no, I didn't just recently send her birth announcements to family and friends BUT I did fail to share it with y'all. I think they turned out perfectly and once again, I ordered them through this awesome place. It's amazing how much she has changed in just her first, two short months of life.

Of course, I had to protect our private information just in case one of the crazies stumble upon my blog again!

Never Before Seen Pictures

2011-10-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

or at least I don't think so unless they are on FB and I forgot I put them there.

Wearing baby but must learn a new wrap. She doesn't care to be this bundled anymore.

Andrew wanted bedmates and to act like he was asleep!

Daddy and his babies!

Resting peacefully

Growing up way too fast!

The guard dog

Her superhero - she just doesn't know it yet!

We got our flu shots.

Our Star Student! Ms. Erika said she has never had a student wait so patiently for his turn for the dump truck. Normally they throw fits, cry, scream but Andrew "waited his turn like a big boy."

2 Months Old

2011-09-29T09:23:00.001-04:00

About Addicyn this month:

You hit a growth spurt during your first month and have slowed down some this second month. You are growing like a weed though and very healthy. At your 2-month well check appt. on Wednesday, I'm certain you will have surpassed 9 lbs. Actual weight and length to be added later. (Well Little Lady, you are now 10 lbs, 2 oz. (25th percentile) and 21.5 inches (15th percentile).

You are such a blessing to our family who fits in perfectly. Andrew adores you and although he doesn't ask to hold you often, he always wants to see your eyes whether you are in your bed, I am feeding you, I am changing your diaper, we are in the car or anywhere. It really is the sweetest thing along with him telling you how cute you are. He doesn't want to go to bed without giving everybody hugs and kisses including you. He often asks for us to put you in his bed and says you can sleep with him. You have an awesome little big brother.

On the sleep front - we are still pretty lucky. You aren't sleeping 22+ hours a day now but you are still a great sleeper. I wish you were a more consistent sleeper in the mornings while Andrew is in preschool. Most mornings you doze for a few minutes, wake up and doze some more. Afternoon naps are generally longer. At night, you are sleeping until 3:30-4am usually before you want to eat. Some mornings you will then sleep until around 7:45am or some mornings you'll be awake at 6:30am. Although I'm only getting about 6 hours of sleep at night, I know many have it a lot worse.

You are mostly bottle fed breastmilk but you do receive 2 bottles of formula a day. On a bad day, meaning I'm super busy and don't pump enough, you will get 3 bottles but that's the maximum. I pump exclusively and it works out best for us. At your last appt., the doctor said you didn't need anymore than 3 oz. since your stomach is still very small so we backed down somewhat. Currently, you are drinking 3.5 oz. of breastmilk at each feeding and 3 oz. of formula when needed. You definitely prefer breastmilk and sometimes even leave some of the formula.

I stopped swaddling you at 5 weeks because you started getting too long for the swaddle and you seem to do fine in footed sleepers. You do take a pacifier to soothe yourself to sleep mainly but recently you haven't even seemed very interested in it. Believe me, that is a-ok by me. Your little face and upper chest are covered in baby acne. Hateful stuff! You are still wearing size 1 diapers. Your bowel movements are spaced out about 4-5 days due to being a breastfed baby. You are wearing 0-3 months clothes but have so many things that you will never be able to wear them all especially since it is now fall and the weather will start to cool down some. I guess this is the down side to being so tiny at birth and playing catch up. I put you in this specific outfit because I just love it although it is tropical. We are still having temperatures in the 80s and if I don't let you wear it now, you won't get to. Yes, I realize it is officially fall. You are holding your head up more and more. You are smiling a lot and responding to us. I'm waiting on the sound of laughter because you are making sounds already. You have nearly outgrown your vibrating chair but when you are in it, you enjoy looking at yourself in the tiny mirror. You, like Andrew, enjoy looking at ceiling fans. You LOVE getting a bath and a massage afterward. During tummy time, you are moving your legs in a crawling motion. Of course, we know it is way too early but is it a sign that you might be an early developer? You can also hold your bottle, which Andrew never did.

We really haven't limited your exposure to the outside world. We've been to church nearly every Sunday, out to eat many times, shopping trips and you always go for the ride to Andrew's preschool.

And now for the outtakes:

Off the Wall

2011-09-22T08:00:00.001-04:00

I know a lot of you really love Whole Foods. I've been probably 5-6 times and I thought it was a different place (in a good way) with unusual items the first several visits. Recently, we went to Whole Foods to buy something and I have to say that shopping adventure ranks in my Top 5 Weirdest Life Experiences! From the looks of the shoppers, it was obvious that we didn't belong there. I'm not against organic (shoot, I like to sleep on organic bed sheets) but I felt like I had been teleported back to the 1960s/70s. Tree-huggers everywhere! I don't see another Whole Foods shopping in my future but in that store's defense, they have a great, hassle-free return policy.

(Google image)

I am primarily pumping breastmilk lately because it just works out best for Addicyn and me. Plus, she's still getting all the benefits of breastfeeding. One thing that makes it less than convenient is pumping in the middle of the night. Usually I'll feed Addicyn, change her diaper, put her back to bed and then pump. My pump talks to me at 3-4am. The monotony of the pump noise lulls me to sleep but I can actually hear words in that noise. One time the noise was saying we won't go, we won't go, we won't go but the pumps favorite word is rap art, rap art, rap art, rap art. Thinking I've lost my ever-lovin' mind yet? Just repeat those words over and over and that's what it sounds like to me in the middle of the night when all the world is asleep but me - or so it seems.

I am always amazed (in a bad way) at how people dress for doctor appointments. They come in looking like their hair hasn't seen a brush in days, much less a nice soapy lather of shampoo. They look like they rolled out of bed and just picked up whatever they could find closest on the floor. I'm glad I'm not a doctor especially a gynecologist. If they look like that on the outside for everybody to see, what does....nevermind! Maybe I overdo it - I shave everything that gets shaved, wash my hair, actually fix it, put on makeup, wear my nicely ironed clothes, pluck my eyebrows, apply new polish to my toes and even put on lotion. Maybe I'm the one that has it all wrong and to think I could save all that time.

Andrew has figured it out - the baby gates. Tuesday I was upstairs and heard him downstairs and I thought I remembered shutting the top gate at least but I told him to come upstairs. Later, I went downstairs to get something and made it a point to shut the gates. Before long, Andrew and Penny were downstairs and coming back up. I allowed him to go down first for lunch (without telling him why) just so I could see him do it and he was so proud of himself. There are pros (we can take the top gate down until Addicyn becomes mobile, easier to get laundry and the vacuum downstairs now) but there are cons (my job just got a lot more difficult - keeping Andrew on the same floor with me and plus, with Penny's bad back, she doesn't need to be going up and down the stairs so we are leaving the bottom gate up)!

Andrew keeps us laughing with the things he says and the things he knows! One thing that tickles me is he says where you are? instead of where are you? He also has can't and don't mixed up so when you ask him something he says I can't know instead of I don't know. Because he is such a picky eater, people keep telling him that he doesn't know what's good and that he's missing out. Yesterday for lunch, I had leftover pizza that had black olives, onions, mushrooms, spinach and broccoli on it. He was telling me that he didn't like the black olives and that I should take them off. When I told him he was missing out, he said matter-of-factly:
A: I not missing out. I like Pop Tarts, oatmear (sic), juice, fries, chips, soup and chocolate milk.
Me: Is that all you like?
A: Yes

Finally, you know you are old when a new shower caddy/basket makes your day. This little beauty makes me want to take a shower just so I can stand there and look at how awesome it is. No more bottles sitting on the built-in shower seat! And no, it doesn't take much for me anymore!!

(Target photo)

Epitome of Love

2011-09-20T08:00:00.001-04:00

Andrew loves his sister. He is always telling her how much he loves her, how cute she is and kissing on her.

It's time to eat, Mama! Stop taking my picture and give me some food!

(cell phone picture)

Nice Try!

2011-09-13T07:30:00.002-04:00

I am merely sneaking in a few minutes here and there for myself but...

I am still alive!

I can't believe Addicyn is already 6 weeks old - it doesn't seem possible! During these past 6 weeks, I have been super busy and I keep looking for the day when I'll finally catch up and my life will slow down. Then, I snap back to reality and realize those days are long gone for at least 18 years. Still, I wouldn't trade my crazy, beautiful life or even fast forward it for one day!

In all that I have been doing, I have been dealing with stinkin' insurance. On my discharge day, I had a lady from the hospital's finance office standing in my room reading off my balance and asking how much I wanted to pay. I really should have been honest and told her nothing (if only to get a kick out of her facial expression) but I know that isn't exactly possible...well, for some it is but I choose to be a responsible citizen by paying my bills. Shortly after settling in at home, the hospital bills started to fill our mailbox. I'm sure you remember the struggle I had with getting my approval during my pregnancy...

I was thumbing through my Explanation of Benefits documents when two numbers caught my eye - 60% and 80% - neither of which should have been showing up on my document. As much as I dreaded calling the insurance company to investigate these numbers, I was gonna get to the bottom of it. I put it off until the last possible minute only to hear the representative tell me that my insurance only paid 60% of one bill because it was OUT OF NETWORK!! I fought 5 months to get approved so my delivery/hospital stay wouldn't be considered out of network. You will be proud of me because I kept my cool and explained that I had been approved for the Transition of Care. The rep. found proof in the system.

The 80% was incorrect too because I joined a maternity program so my insurance would actually pay 90%. After questioning that percentage and explaining my concern, the rep. also found that I was correct and they should be paying my bills at 90% instead of 80%.

Do you know how much money that phone call saved me? Just on my epidural, it saved me $300. I despise dealing with insurance companies. I guess it could have been an oversight but had I not been paying attention, I would have overpaid. With Andrew, I am certain I paid 20% instead of my 10% but being an overwhelmed new mom to begin with and add on nasty reflux with projectile vomitting and diarrhea, I assumed the insurance company had all their p's and q's straight. This time, I am on my toes when it comes to insurance.

Fool me once, shame on you! Fool me twice, shame on me! Insurance company, you'd better try pulling that fast one on somebody else because it ain't workin' on this mama this go 'round. I am onto you and smiling all the way to the bank!

The First Day

2011-09-07T07:20:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Andrew's first day of preschool at his new school. After much consideration last year, we decided to move him to a new preschool. Initially, I felt at peace about our decision but as he finished at his previous school, I worried I had made a bad decision. He loved his teachers there and everything/everybody was familiar to him. Last Thursday, we attended open house at his new school and I left with the same peace I had shortly after making the decision. Andrew has talked about his new preschool for months. Since Thursday, when asked if he was excited about his new school, he always responded with I'm really, really excited!

I haven't really been upset about him going to preschool this year because after all, we did this back in January and I made it just fine. It hit me yesterday morning as we were getting ready to leave and then it really hit me as we turned into the parking lot. I felt nauseous.

We went in his classroom and Ms. Erika had Play-Doh sitting at each spot at the table. She had their names written at their assigned spaces. Andrew walked in and just picked the closest seat so I directed him to his assigned seat. I went over, kneeled beside him and did the whole mom thing - you've got to listen to Ms. Erika, are you going to be good?, I'll be back to pick you up in a little bit, etc. He gave me a couple kisses on the lips so obviously I don't embarrass him too much yet. I stood up to chat with his teacher for a minute. When I turned back to Andrew to finally say goodbye, he handed me his Play-Doh container and wanted me to get the Play-Doh out. Now that doesn't sound like anything Earth-shattering to get torn up over but it broke my heart into a million pieces!

You see, I remember that first day of daycare, kindergarten, middle school, college and even graduate school when everything was new. I didn't know anybody and everything was foreign. I felt lost and alone and all I could think about when he handed me that container was that I was leaving my child in a strange place - the only person he knew was leaving him. Had I not been there to help him would he have just sat there unable to play with the Play-Doh because his teacher was busy and he didn't know anyone else to ask for help? As I told him goodbye, kissed him again and reminded him that I would be back soon, I had a lump in my throat the size of a softball. D and I walked out of the building and I teared up. Back at home, Andrew's innocent face flashed before me as I stood and ironed clothes. The lump came back and I just kept trying to think of all the fun he was having.

We picked him up and I was so relieved to hear that he had a good day and he was good for Ms. Erika. Of course, she did tell me that he didn't want to eat his Uncrustable so they made a deal. He could eat his Rice Krispy treat if he ate half of his sandwich. He doesn't like peanut butter and it's a challenge to get him to eat them at home but I hoped being around the other kids would be positive peer pressure. Not so much but at least he cooperated and said he wanted to go back today...hopefully, I won't cry!

Last night, we went out to eat in celebration of his first day! I love this boy more than words!

Eat Your Heart Out

2011-09-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

I thought I would document what a day looks like in my world. No two days are alike being a stay-at-home/work-at-home mom. Everyday isn't like yesterday because D has been working 12 hours the past three days and normally Wednesdays are laundry day (note: laundry did NOT get done). Enjoy!

2:45am - alarm went off, pumped for 20 minutes, went downstairs to wash bottles and pump accessories so they would be ready by the morning, fed Addicyn and changed her diaper

4:00am - put Addicyn back to bed and got in bed myself, took me a few minutes to finally go to sleep

6:45am - Addicyn started to wake so I went downstairs to get a bottle

7:00am - fed Addicyn and changed her diaper

7:30am - Andrew woke up

7:45am - went downstairs and made breakfast for Andrew, cleaned up kitchen from breakfast

8:30am - went upstairs, made beds, straightened upstairs, checked email/FB for a few minutes

9:00am - pumped again

9:15am - did some real estate work

10:00am - brushed teeth, put in contacts, put on clothes (note: I did NOT brush my hair or apply makeup at this point or all day for that matter)

10:30am - fed Addicyn again

11:00am - helped Andrew with a puzzle, listened as his imagination ran wild and he made up some crazy stories, sat with Addicyn on the sofa while Andrew played

11:30am - changed Addicyn and went downstairs for lunch

12:30am - watched videos and looked at pictures online with Andrew, Andrew also played with Addicyn

1:00pm - naptime for Andrew!!!, fed Addicyn and changed her diaper again

1:45pm - naptime for Addicyn!!!, did more real estate work

2:30pm - tried to figure out medical insurance claims by bills and online, called to speak with representative but all reps. in a meeting so got nowhere!! (note: I despise dealing with insurance companies), also reviewed some new insurance quotes for auto & home, printed off the quotes to discuss with D at later date

3:15pm - edited photos online and uploaded photos to shutterfly, will order at later date for baby books, worked on baby books

3:30pm - Andrew woke from nap

4:15pm - went downstairs and started thawing out chicken for dinner

4:30pm - pumped again and completed medical forms online for Addicyn's 1 month well-check appt. on Thuesday

5:00pm - Addicyn woke from nap, diaper changed and fed

5:30pm - started dinner, washed bottles, pump accessories and the few dishes in the sink

6:30pm - D finally home, ate dinner

7:00 - cleaned kitchen, washed dishes, made bottle, straighened family room

8:00pm - sat down to watch Big Brother while holding an upset Addicyn

8:45pm - pumped while watching Big Brother

9:00pm - washed bottles/pump accessories, made a bottle for 9:30pm feeding

9:30pm - took shower, washed hair, shaved, painted toenails, brushed teeth, dried hair

10:30pm - more real estate work completed

10:45pm - started this blog post

11:15pm - fed Addicyn, changed diaper

12:00am - finally made it to bed and will start all over again at 2:45am

Just remember this is the major stuff I had to do. This doesn't even document all the time I spent saying no, don't do that, come here, get in that chair and don't get up until I say so, do you want a spanking, etc. Andrew has been driving me bonkers the last three days and I'm holding tight to the saying This too shall pass! I am ready for preschool to start next week but then I have to remind myself that one day I am going to miss all this craziness and frustration. I honestly do love my job and wouldn't trade it for the world...most days :-)

1 Month Old

2011-08-29T10:47:00.004-04:00

About Addicyn this month:

You weigh 7lbs., 13oz. (10th percentile), are 20.25 in. long (15th percentile) with a head circumference of 35.3cm (7th percentile).

You are a great baby! You have been the most perfect gift to our family and we are all in love with you. Andrew adores you! He tells you how cute you are, gives you kisses and wants you to sleep in his bed with him. He tells everybody she is still little (meaning that you aren't big enough to play with him yet).

You are a good sleeper and sleep a lot!! During the first 1-2 weeks, you were sleeping around the clock except to eat and even then, you were dozing. We are trying to get on some sort of schedule. The only real schedule is that you take a nap during the morning, during the afternoon and at least sleep while I'm cooking dinner for the most part. You can stay awake for 1-2 hour periods but that isn't very often. Your last feeding is at 11pm, you then sleep until 3am, get fed and recently have been waking up between 6:45-7:15am.

Because you were so tiny, we started out breastfeeding and supplementing with formula. We are continuing to do so and you are growing fast! You are an aggressive eater and it feels like you have teeth, so breastfeeding is painful for me. Over the past week, I have been pumping exclusively almost and that works fine for us. I did nurse you once and you showed no signs of refusing to latch or being fussy so I'll continue to do that some too. We feed you on demand and that is generally every 2-3 hours. You have recently been eating about 3 oz. but we determined that breastmilk isn't as filling since it is thinner than formula. Just yesterday, we increased you to 4 oz. of breastmilk or 3.5 oz. of formula each feeding. You are one hungry girl!

You love being swaddled and it seems you take that as your sign that it is bedtime. I plan to swaddle as long as you will let me. I have started wearing you in a wrap. At first, you whine but within 30 seconds you are enjoying the ride. You even snore but when you are ready to get out, you are ready to get out! I resisted a pacifier but gave in when it was evident that you needed one to soothe yourself. We don't rely on it and you don't require it since you will use it for a few minutes and spit it out after you go to sleep. You aren't a big fan of your swing or vibrating chair but you will use the swing ever now and then. I just switched you to wearing a size 1 diaper from newborn. Newborn diapers were just right but I didn't have another box so I tried the size 1s and although they are a little big, you will be growing into them soon. You are growing into your newborn clothes and can wear 0-3 onesies. You can hold your head up and are getting stronger every day. You also are starting to respond to us by smiling. You did not enjoy your first bath but since then, you really relax in the tub.

The pediatrician suggested we limit our activities outside our house for the first two months. You have been shopping, out to eat a few times, to church twice and to playgroup once. You slept through it all! You are a great car rider.

In your short life, we have already had our first earthquake that measured 5.8. Within 4 days of the earthquake, Hurricane Irene made an extended visit. Meemaw and Pawpaw came to ride it out with us. Again, you slept through both!

And, now for the outtakes:

What I've Learned or Re-Learned Recently

2011-08-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Addicyn's swing has been put together wrong for the past month. It still worked just fine but threw the positioning of her body off. Maybe that is why she wasn't enjoying it.

There is always somebody saying I'm so mad on Ni Hao, Ki-Lan. I know they are trying to teach kids how to deal with their emotions and conflict resolution but good grief, must somebody be mad every single show?!?

Dr. Brown's bottles really are worth it. For the past three weeks, we've been using some bottles I bought with Andrew but never used. They were recommended by the lactation consultant to help with breastfeeding but my little Addicyn has been a gaseous thing. I'm certain she could compete with grown men and blow them away ;-) We switched back to our old Dr. Brown's and she hasn't been as noisy! This is a huge deal especially when I'm out in public or sitting in church!

To me (at this stage), parenting two isn't any different than parenting one except you must be a better organizer, time manager, planner and multi-tasker. Luckily, those are my strengths!

Some people never change - no matter how many times they promise they will or say they have, make up big stories to impress people, disrespect others, or you give them the benefit of believing that they will/have, etc. After a while, you just tune them out and only tolerate being around them.

It is perfectly possible for a baby's poop to smell like buttered popcorn without actually being fed buttered popcorn. I promise she hasn't been fed even one kernel.

After our scare with Penny 2 years ago, I get really sad and remember that empty feeling when people talk about losing their pets. I can sincerely empathize with them and I dread thinking about that painful experience, which we will face one day.

Birthday cake and birthday cake ice cream are good whether it is your birthday or not. No special occasion required!

The GAP outlet store near my house has better sale prices than I remembered so I will be making a trip back very soon. D got to two pair of shorts for $2 after the 30% off sale and using rewards cash!

Bracing for the Unknown

2011-08-24T09:05:00.001-04:00

Living on the East Coast inevitably means you will experience a hurricane at some point in your life - kind of like those Midwesterners and tornados. I have never been in the direct path of a hurricane but have been awfully close twice. Hurricane Hugo came up through NC around Charlotte in September 1989 although it had weakened to a tropical storm. We lived on the right side of the storm, which always get the brunt of the winds and rain. In 1999, Hurricane Floyd flooded most of eastern NC. We were living in Raleigh - west Raleigh to be exact. We tried to evacuate west but made it halfway to my parents house and got stuck in a major traffic jam so we turned around and headed back east. We hunkered down in Dwight's 6th floor apartment by putting a blowup mattress up against the window and prayed for the best. I remember hearing the wind howl all night and I think that was the scariest part - it happened at night and you really didn't know what was going on. We woke up the next morning and the damage was amazing - a few leaves were blowing around the parking lot and the sky was cloudy. We'd missed the worst of the storm but eastern NC was under water for a long time. The news coverage was non-stop!

This time we're bracing for another hurricane and it sounds like it could be a big one. I've been listening to the weather off and on all day. They are saying Hurricane Irene could be a Cat. 3 when it hits NC. I think the implications are much different when you are a parent. We don't only have to worry about ourselves and making sure we have our necessary supplies but we have to now protect two little ones who can't protect themselves. Just that thought is a bit scary - we're responsible to protect them as much as possible. We will have to put on the brave face and calm fears while shaking in our boots too. We'll also have to explain what is going on to Andrew although he won't grasp the depth of the topic.

I'm trying to figure out what we should plan to do as this is the first real threatening storm since being married, living in our own house and becoming parents. We could head west again but the storm track fan from this morning showed it covered half the width of NC. I guess we'll stay put and pray! Afterall, it's only Tuesday and a lot could change between now and then. The meteorologists have no idea right now and they aren't in control of the path anyway. I do believe we will prepare though - fill up on gas (not sure why), put fresh batteries in the flashlights, make sure there are batteries in our weather radio, get some snacks/food and stock up on bottled water.

Hopefully, Irene will stay in the Atlantic and leave us alone!

PS And just as I was finishing this post, I experienced my first ever earthquake like most people on the East Coast. I was sitting on the bed and it started shaking. I thought Penny was moving around up under the bed but she wasn't even upstairs. Outloud I said why is my house shaking? I looked at the curtains and they were moving too so I got up. I was getting ready to grab my babies who were asleep but walked to see if it was the washing machine spinning but the washing machine had finished. At that point, D called me and asked if I felt it. I knew it wasn't just my imagination. Now that was scary! I guess this was my sign that I don't have the being brave down pat just yet. Thankfully, my babies were asleep and didn't see my ~~tears~~ fear!

So along with hurricanes and tornados (yes, we have those too), East coast dwellers can now add earthquakes to our list.

What Has Been Going On?

2011-08-19T09:36:00.002-04:00

Andrew is doing great with the addition to our family. Matter of fact, you wouldn't even know anything had changed. He could not keep his hands off Addicyn in the hospital but since getting home, he's had other things to occupy his time. He is very sweet with her - telling her he loves her and giving her kisses but I do have to remind him to be gentle and to keep things out of her face. He loves showing her his toys.

In utero Addicyn's weight was a concern but we received confirmation at my last ultrasound that she would be small. She was born weighing 6.1 lbs. and by the time we were discharged from the hospital, she had lost down to 5.8 lbs. That meant going to the peds. office for weight checks. She lost down to 5.75 lbs. and then started gaining. On Monday, we went for her 2 week appt. and she had finally surpassed her birth weight and now weighs in at a whopping 6.3 lbs. She is now considered a heavyweight! She is still only 3% for weight, 5% for length and 7% for head circumference.

There is definitely a learning curve to breastfeeding. Who knew there was so much to learn?!?! I've had more strangers touching my boobies over the last three weeks than in the past 32 years!! It is still a struggle at times but I am pressing on because I want more than anything to be successful. Addicyn is doing great - she latched on right away and is a real sucker! Feeding on demand (no set schedule) and not knowing exactly how much she's getting are my least favorite parts.

Addicyn is a great sleeper. Matter of fact, we've been a little concerned about how much she sleeps. In the first 1.5 weeks, she would have slept right through the night had I not awakened her. Now, she'll start waking around 3am. One feeding a night isn't bad!

D took off the first week and my mom came the following Saturday evening and stayed until Wednesday at noon. Our small group has also been bringing dinner to us for two weeks. What a blessing all the extra help has been!

I took two weeks off from my part-time real estate job. I didn't log into the system even once. It was obvious when I tried to log in and couldn't for the life of me remember my password. Upon my return, I was greeted with a nice pay raise. Can't beat that!!

Addicyn's cord fell off after 1 week, 2 days so I gave her a bath. She didn't care for it like Andrew did his first bath. By her second bath, she enjoyed it and didn't even cry.

She loves to be swaddled and held. I have ordered a wrap so I can wear her when she is awake. Otherwise, I will never get anything accomplished! She isn't a big fan of her swing or her vibrating seat so those options are pretty much out unless I just let her cry it out. I have found I am more tolerant of crying this second time around. With Andrew, I would get so nervous if he cried for long. Now, I can tune it out if need be. The other day I found something that calmed her - her lovey. She laid quietly and just looked around for 30 minutes before falling asleep. BTW, she doesn't sleep in her crib so no worries about the stuffed animals being in there with her. I moved her to my room for her nap!

I've quickly learned to take good and bad days with a grain of salt. One day will be fantastic and the next day can be close to awful. Last Thursday (my first day of doing it alone with two) was close to perfect and Friday was a near disaster. Andrew lost his listening ears and he didn't find them all day and Addicyn cried all day wanting to be held. I had plans to at least vacuum the floors - I pulled the vacuum from the closet and it sat in Addicyn's room untouched all day. We were heading out of town and packing for three was a challenge on a not-so-good day! I was ready to just throw my hands in the air and stay home. The drive made up for the stresses of the day and I relaxed for those 2 hours!

Pretty in Pink

2011-08-16T08:29:00.001-04:00

These were taken by two amateurs - my mom helped arrange the backdrop (the window panel from Addicyn's room) and positioned Addicyn while I snapped pictures (armed with my $150 point and shoot camera) and shooed Andrew and Penny from the set. On the first day, we forgot her headband so we had to re-try on a second day. Addicyn had her belly full and just wanted to sleep.They aren't professional grade but I saved some moolah in the process. One of them made the cut for the birth announcements I ordered last week.

PS - For those wondering, her hair isn't red. I think it must be the hot pink backdrop that gives that illusion. Her hair is a light to medium brown for now and dark blue eyes!

Yesterday

2011-08-12T08:00:00.002-04:00

I turned

and I spent my day being productive:

4 loads of laundry done

washed dishes twice

washed bottles and pump accessories multiple times

straightened the house

emptied trash

watched Superman with Andrew

changed multiple diapers

ordered Addicyn's birth announcements

paid bills

changed the bed clothes on two beds

went to the mailbox and pulled out hospital bills (already!)

replied to all the birthday wishes I received on Facebook

talked to family on the telephone

but my favorite part was

spending the day with my babies, which just so happened to be

the first day I've parented two children alone...EVER!

And, we had a pretty good day!

Addicyn's Birth Story - Part II

2011-08-05T12:54:00.001-04:00

Sorry for leaving you hanging - that wasn't my intent. Actually, I just thought by the time you read to the end of Part I you would be tired of reading and I might lose you. Let's continue...and if you missed Part I, definitely read it first.

(Taken the night before)

At 4:30am-ish I woke up to painful contractions and started timing them. They were about 4-5 minutes apart. The only thing I could think about was getting caught in rush hour traffic so I told D I was going to go ahead and get dressed becuase they were painful but he could sleep a little longer. As I started putting in my contacts, I realized they intensifying rapidly and getting closer so I told him to go ahead and get dressed. Luckily, Andrew had gone home with my mom the night before so that was one less thing we had to worry about before we could leave. We both got dressed, gathered up the last of my belongings, put Penny in the laundry room and called the doctor to let her know we were on our way. The contractions were already bad enough before we left the house that I couldn't walk or talk through them. As we were headed to the hospital, all I could do was grip the car door and seat. We made it without hitting too much traffic and didn't even get pulled over by a State Trooper this time (with Andrew we did!). We checked into the hospital just before 6am and by 6:10am, I was in the hospital bed answering those questions again and getting hooked up to the monitors.

I had back labor with Andrew and it was a terrible constant pain. This time, I had contractions and they hurt like heck but at least they came and went. I got a break every minute or so but still, it wasn't a walk in the park. The only way I can describe it was someone repeatedly stabbing me with a knife from the bottom up. I gripped the bed rails and tried to breathe. I remember the nurse telling me to breathe and do not arch my back. She started an IV drip with pain medicine to hold me over until I could get the epidural but that medicine didn't even touch the pain. By the time they came in for the epidural, the contractions were so bad I had tears just streaming down my face. Kudos to anybody who wants to have a natural birth but I am certainly not one of them. I dreaded the epidural because honestly, getting the epidural with Andrew was the most excrutiating pain I have EVER been in. This epidural was in before I even knew it so obviously it hurt so terribly bad with Andrew because of the back labor. After the epidural was in, I could still feel the contractions so the nurse had me to roll onto my left side. That helped and no more contractions were felt.

The mascara was long gone!

At 8:10am, I felt a gush and all I could say was something just happened down there. The doctor broke my water with Andrew so I wasn't expecting much different this time. Because I was already numb from my waist down, I didn't know what I was feeling. I was afraid for the nurse to look - afraid I had pooped all over the place but luckily it was in fact my water that had broken. She cleaned up the bedding and I just kept resting. We watched the morning news and they were talking about how it was supposed to be 105 degrees; I was pretty happy to be in the hospital and not leaving for the day. My family was enroute to the hospital and I wasn't sure if they would make it in time.

They made it and came up to see me before I started feeling the urge to push. The nurse checked me again at some point and I was already a 7-8cm. The nurse started prepping the room for the delivery and everybody left except D, my mom and my sister. The doctor came in, checked me and went to put on her scrubs. I told the nurse I was having the urge to push so she checked the monitor and we started pushing on every contraction at 9:50am. I requested a mirror so I could see Addicyn crowning and I pushed as hard as I could each time. We kept up a good pace and soon the doctor came in. The doctor wasn't in there but a few minutes and at 10:17am Addicyn was born!!

They immediately placed her under my gown so we could have skin-to-skin contact. D cut the umbilical cord and the doctor started sewing me up as they did the Apgar on Addicyn and weighed her. Soon after she was born, Andrew was allowed to come up and meet his little sister. I watched from the hospital bed and cried tears as I heard him talking to her. Hey Addicyn! Hey! It's ok, Addicyn!

Everybody was taking pictures and so happy that she was finally here. I immediately started nursing her and then they gave her a bath. By 1pm, I was in my post-partum room getting better acquainted with our little angel!

We stayed in the hospital until Sunday and was discharged at 1:15pm. I was extremely excited to go home. The hospital staff was very helpful and nice and while they meant well, I often felt like they didn't think I had enough common sense to care for a baby...even baby #2.

We are doing well with the adjustment but D has been off work all week so knowing how the adjustment is really going is still unknown until I am home alone caring for both little ones at the same time! I am thankful to be breastfeeding with Addicyn. Andrew was never able to latch and she has done great so far but learning the ins and outs is very time consuming. I am pumping every two hours plus feeding her roughly every 2-3 hours. She lost down to 5.8 lbs. before leaving the hospital so we have been going to the pediatrician's office for weight checks twice this week. On Monday, she had lost another 1/2oz. so we went back on Tuesday and she had gained up to 5.85lbs. We will be going back on Monday for another weight check and hopefully, she'll be back on the road to getting a little bigger and I'll have a better idea of how successful we'll be with breastfeeding.

I can't forget to mention that today, Andrew is 3.5 years old and Addicyn is 1 week old! Man does time fly!!

Addicyn's Birth Story - Part I

2011-08-04T08:06:00.002-04:00

Last Thursday, I had my 38 week appt. with Dr. Bruton at 3:15pm. I had felt fine all day minus that lingering feeling like I had been doing a split around the clock. Once I got to the doctors' office, I had a short wait before they put me in a room. I waited and waited and waited some more. Honestly, I was getting restless but I could hear chatter in the hallway and part of that chatter was my doctor calling to the hospital regarding another patient. She was sending that patient to the hospital immediately because the baby was unresponsive during two different tests. I decided to be a little more patient after putting myself in that mother's shoes. During my wait of nearly one hour, my contractions started. Initially, I didn't pay them much attention but by the time Dr. Bruton came in, they were occurring 5 minutes apart. She checked me and noted that I was still dilated about 3.5cm - still no change from my 36 week appointment. Before I left, she told me to hang around Raleigh for a while, invite D and Andrew to dinner as a way of keeping an eye on the contractions since we live 45 minutes from the hospital. She proceeded to say that she thought I might end up at the hospital that night and she would let Dr. Fisher (the on-call OB) know I was floating around town for precautionary reasons. If I didn't go to the hospital that night, she was certain she would see me over the weekend as she was on-call and sure I wouldn't make it through the weekend!

I left the office, got in my car and immediately called D. Gave him the rundown and asked what he thought I should do. I was scared to death to be honest. I really wanted to just get home, find a comfy place on the sofa, on my side and see if this was false labor. Instead, I was stuck 45 minutes from home, in rush hour traffic, not knowing whether I should stay put or try to make it home. D and I decided I would just come on home but before I even got 15 minutes down the road, my contractions decided to show me who was boss. They started coming every 2 minutes and my fear meter shot skyhigh. Headed home, traffic started getting congested so I called D in tears and told him I didn't think I would make it home so we met in a town between our house and Raleigh. He had to get Andrew dressed and finish packing my bag of things I use on a daily basis. As I waited at Chick fil A, I started making phone calls to my family to give them the heads up. I told everybody to wait until I knew more but my mom immediately decided to make her way east. As I waited on D and Andrew, I went through the drive-thru and ordered our food in case we needed to get on the road when they finally arrived. When they got there, we went into the restaurant to eat but it was obvious that we needed to get on our way. D called the doctor to let her know we were coming and off we went back to Raleigh in two separate cars.

Yes, I drove myself to the hospital while having contractions and I made a phone call to the Realtor I work for to let her know I didn't get to complete some of the work she needed. We made it to the hospital and checked in. I had excrutiating back labor with Andrew so I didn't know what to expect but these were basically Braxton Hicks. I changed into the hospital gown and climbed in the bed. They asked the battery of questions and hooked me up to the monitors. The contractions seemed consistent until I got in the bed and then they slowed so the nurse recommended that I walk the hallways for 1 hour and come back to my room for more monitoring and a check of any progression. D and I walked, D and I walked with Andrew, my mom and I walked and even everybody walked together - around and around and around the second floor we went. The second floor hallway wasn't that big and every time I got to the same spot, I would start contracting. I went from having one contraction per round to two per round. At 8pm, I returned to my room and was sure I would be spending the night but the contractions slowed again and were inconsistent.

The nurse checked me again and no further dilation so she called Dr. Fisher to see what the plan would be. Upon her return, she said Dr. Fisher was making rounds and would be in soon. There is a new push to never encourage induction until 39 weeks and since I was only 38w, 2 days, Dr. Fisher wasn't willing to give medicine or do anything else to encourage labor. I was completely fine with this decision. My contractions were in fact 2 minutes apart but the problem was that they were not strong enough to cause more dilation. She gave me the option of walking more and continue monitoring until 10:30pm or just going home. I chose to go home because I was talking through the contractions and was in no pain. Admittedly, I felt safe being there and the situation I was in (my mom arrived safely, we didn't have to fight rush hour traffic) but I just prayed that when Addicyn was ready, we would find ourselves in the same ideal situation.

We got home, I put all of my everyday essentials in a bag to live out of until the time came, took a shower and went to bed by midnight. I woke up at 1:30am and was sick as a dog - upset stomach and nauseous. I spent some time in the bathroom and ended up on the sofa in the bonus room because I felt so bad. Unfortunately, I couldn't get comfortable on the sofa so I went back to bed.

At 4:30am-ish I woke up to painful contractions and started timing them...

Welcome to the World, Our Sweet Baby!!

2011-08-02T11:07:00.002-04:00

Addicyn Marie

Born on July 29, 2011 at 10:17am

6lbs. 1oz.

19 inches long

More updates to come (when I find an extra minute)!!

That Crazy Coupon Lady

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-04:00

It's a misleading title because that crazy coupon lady I am not!

Disclaimer: I am not an extreme couponer. Matter of fact, I've never even watched that show or attended a couponing class. I did DVR the season premiere but once I heard friends talking about dumpster diving for coupons, I just deleted it. I spend very little time on couponing and only do the simple things. I refuse to drive to 5 different stores just to save $1.21 when it would cost me double that or more in gas and my precious time. I don't have a baseball card collecting binder - I use a resealable bag for mine and sift through them. I don't know all the rules to couponing and I'm also not going to raid the newspaper rack every Sunday morning before church or spend hours hunting and printing coupons.

Before I proceed, let me just say that while I have saved some money, I do almost feel like I've been spending a lot more lately just trying to use coupons and not wasting them. I don't buy stuff I don't/won't use but I do stock up on items that I won't use for a while like laundry detergent, diapers and wipes. So while right now it seems I'm spending more money than saving, down the road I will be saving because I'll already be stocked up.

Just a few things I do:

Sign up for credit cards with rewards but be careful with your spending. I have 3 credit cards to my name: Gap Visa, LL Bean Visa and Kohl's. They all offer rewards and coupons. For the longest time, the LL Bean card was my main card but the rewards don't add up as quickly as with the Gap card. I put most everything on my Gap card and pay it off at the end of the month. Just over the past 6 months, I've received about $200 in Gap coupons that can be used at Gap, Banana Republic, Old Navy, Athleta and Piperlime. Last week, Gap had a sale - take an additional 40% off, plus free shipping on orders over $50. After the sale, free shipping and using 2 of my rewards, I spent $4.02 on one hoodie, two polo shirts and two sports pants for Andrew.

Pregnant or have babies/young children? Get on baby product mailing lists. Enfamil and Similac always send actual formula samples along with $5 off coupons to spend on their formulas. We didn't get to take advantage of this with Andrew since he was on Nutramigen for his reflux but somebody told me you can still use those regular formula coupons on Nutramigen. I didn't know that so I haven't tested it.

Pampers and Huggies both have rewards programs. I prefer Pampers diapers and Huggies wipes and always have. However, I just recently paid attention to what the Pampers Gifts to Grow program is about. For every Pampers product you buy, you can enter a package code on your Pampers Gift to Grow account and you accumulate points. You then get to shop with those points for a variety of products. I've got my eye on some birth announcements if they are still available when Addicyn arrives. If so, I'll get 25 birth announcements for free! Can't beat free!!

A lot of restaurants offer nights of Kids Eat Free. We haven't really taken advantage of this promotion but we did last week at Chili's. Andrew ate free and we ordered off the 2/$20 menu while ordering water to drink. We got an appetizer in addition to our entrees all for $21. We had leftovers for the next day because there was so much food. It costs us $18 plus to eat at Chick Fil A so I considered this a great deal!

You can also join email lists for restaurants and receive coupons. Just a few that we have signed up for are Lone Star, Dairy Queen, Dunkin' Donuts, Chilis. Lone Star has recently been sending coupons $7.50 off the purchase of two entrees. Sometimes they might be for a free appetizer. We each got a BOGO coupon for Blizzards at DQ and paid about $3 for two Blizzards.

With the wide use of social media, finding free samples and coupons are right at your fingertips. In signing up for free samples, you also usually receive coupons with those samples. Just recently, I have received free samples of Miralax, Tide, Clinique mascara, Mary Kay and Aveda products as well as Pampers and Huggies.

With the Aveda products, I received a letter offering a free shoulder massage at one of their salon locations as well as a coupon code for a percentage off with a purchase. Planning to purchase Aveda soon? I'll mail the letter to the first one who says they want it.

I also once completed a survey from a hospital determining my risk factors for heart disease and received a $5 coupon to my favorite local grocery store. There are tons of giveaways to enter for a chance to win a multitude of products.

There are a lot of couponing groups on FB and Twitter who post coupons, free samples and other deals. My favorite is Couponing to Disney. They have grocery coupons, retail coupons, restaurant coupons and put up offers continuously. There are others such as Couponers United, SwagGrabber, The Frugal Find and Who Said Nothing in Life is Free. From one of these groups, I heard about VistaPrint offering 140 free return mailing address labels. I took advantage of that deal and only had to pay for shipping, which was $3.11.

Finally, I ordered a charm with Addicyn's name on it from the Vintage Pearl. They sent me a promotion code if anyone is interested in using it to purchase from them. Use July10 for 10% off. Exp. 08/31/11

A lot of this information isn't necessarily about coupons but just different ways to save a few pennies on things you would normally buy and use. Every little bit helps! I think everybody knows how to find manufacturer's coupons on the internet, use rewards cards in stores, Catalina coupons, etc. If you have other ways you save, please share in the comments.

38 weeks

2011-07-26T13:41:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 38 weeks/14 days until my due date

Size of Baby: Addicyn is the length of a leek.

Total Weight Gain: 13.5 lbs. - I was weighed on a more accurate scale on my last OB visit and weighed 1.5 lbs less. This doesn't mean the total won't be back up next week though especially since my appt. isn't until 3:15pm and I'm retaining fluids :-)
Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing both regular and maternity tops with maternity bottoms. Dresses are the most comfortable.

Best Moment(s) this week: Finding out that there had been no more dilation or effacement progress. I have been pregnant longer this time than with Andrew, which makes me very happy!

Gender: It's a Girl - Addicyn Marie

Movement: She is still moving a lot but it is really all relative because she has calmed down some. At night, she is still the most active and while I can't see the actual foot print, I can tell where her little foot is located when she kicks me in the side. Andrew never did that - probably because he was lodged so high up under my ribs.

Food Craving: Ahhhhh this sweet tooth of mine has gone biserk!

What I miss: being pregnant. Yes, I am still pregnant but I already miss it. I wish I could just bottle it up and pull it off the shelf whenever I wanted in the future.

What I am looking forward to: this sounds crazy but although I don't want this pregnancy to end (see above), I am ready to meet Addicyn. These last couple of weeks of resting has dragged by and though making it to 40 weeks+ sounds appealing, I don't know that I can take a lot more of this sedentary lifestyle. I'm ready to deep clean my house again (weird, I know)!

Belly Button: It's non-existent.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions, piriformis syndrome, some swelling, 2 days of indigestion, feeling more pressure and frequent bathroom trips. I'm experiencing all of the end of pregnancy/early labor symptoms that I won't spell out on here. Dilation and effacement!!

Next OB appointment: #13 Thursday, July 28 @ 3:15pm w/ Dr. Bruton

Last week's appt. brought great news! No more progress (still 3cm) and no go to the hospital orders! My BP was still great at 112/60 and I also received the news that my Group B Strep test was negative. Although the office was packed and I had to wait 1 hour just to get in a room, it only took 5 minutes of waiting in the room for the doctor. Otherwise, I might have just climbed the wall. Everything looks fine and I am starting to think that little Miss Addicyn has decided hanging out in that warm, cozy place isn't so bad afterall. We might just make it until August.

I really want Addicyn to be an August baby! It's pretty trivial but my two least favorite colors are purple and red. I hoped Andrew would be a March baby just so he could have a light blue (my favorite color) birthstone instead of purple. Oh well, that didn't work out! July's birthstone is red so what are the chances that my babies end up with my least favorite birthstone colors? Plus, D and Andrew share the same birth day (5th) of the month so I think Addicyn and I should share the same birth month. Fingers are crossed but as long as she arrives safely, I won't throw too big of a temper tantrum. Really!

There isn't much going on other than waiting and feet propping. I have my next hair appointment tomorrow so if she is planning to come early, I hope she'll hang on at least until I can get my roots covered and hair trimmed. My pictures from Andrew's birth are ridiculous and I don't want a repeat! Late last night, she had me wondering about whether this post would be going up or not!

Just as a reminder, I predicted August 2nd months ago as the date of her arrival. I thought she would be early but didn't anticipate the minor concern that happened at week 36. My stepdad said August 4th and nobody else has really predicted a date other than my dad who said August 12th. I'm pretty sure my dad is going to be the furthest off.

Can we make it to 39 weeks?!?!!?

Pinning

2011-07-25T08:00:00.002-04:00

Well I admit, I was probably one of the last few to jump on the Pinterest bandwagon. I think the last few were the ones I invited who joined *ahem*...though I won't name any names. I received 3 invites but kept putting it off mainly because I didn't have a clue as to its purpose. It really didn't make a whole lot of sense to me until I tried it myself. While on self-imposed rest, I decided to check it out since I didn't have anything better to do other than nap or read a book. Like most people, it has been a time suck for me. ln short, you can scour the internet or your favorites/bookmarks list and pin pictures of ideas you like to your boards. You can also search on Pinterest or you can just see what everybody else is pinning and find ideas you like too. I especially like looking at new ideas for the house and FOOD but have other boards too. Here are a few of the things I've pinned. It's ok to drool and even join in on the pinning fun! I think you have to be invited to join but I'm not even sure about that. If you want an invite, let me know. If you want to follow me, click on the little, red, Pinterest button in my right sidebar.

A month or so ago, I mentioned turning the guest bathroom into a unisex, no-themed bathroom for the little As. These colors are actually what I had in mind but just not on the wall in the form of wall color. I was thinking of using them as accessories - decorative towels, hand towels, rugs and etc. - with a white shower curtain and neutral wall.

Sopapilla cheesecake: crescent rolls full of cream cheese, cinnamon, vanilla, butter and sugar! These will probably be the first thing I make off my Yummy Goodness board.

I really try not to worry a lot because it shows such little faith but I also think it is human nature and especially the nature of women. This is a simple reminder that He is in control and no amount of worrying is going to change that.

What's not to love about that hat, right? Or the precious model?

I fall into that 1%. If you ever come to my house, you should call first because otherwise, it will be a wasted trip. I'm sure the percentage is way off though.

Cinnamon roll pancakes. No other words needed - just look at the picture!

I think Addicyn would look exceptionally cute wearing these crocheted shoes.

This my friends is a Dawn foam dishsoap hand pump spray painted with a monogram added. This actually might be my favorite pin yet because seriously, who would ever think of such a neat idea!?!? Somebody but obviously not me! I would have rinsed that bottle out and tossed it directly into the recycling bin.

I am not crafty. I have not one ounce of craftiness in my body but this is totally something even I could make without messing up. Tying grosgrain ribbon into knots over and over...just my speed and I could make 50 different colored wreaths for every holiday/occasion throughout the year!

I really could buy one of each print I found in these pillowcase dresses for Addicyn. Restraint! Pinterest could get me in trouble!

So my question is..do you pin? What are your favorite board topics? Have you actually put any of your idea pins to use yet - made a craft, made a food dish, started re-decorating a room?

A Fun Look Back Plus An Update of Sorts

2011-07-21T13:35:00.000-04:00

Before Addicyn arrives, I wanted to post my weekly belly pictures for a side-by-side comparison. It is amazing what our bodies do in preparation for the birth of a child. Pregnancy and child birth are miracles!

Click on the photo collage to enlarge!

Early Update:

I had my 37 week OB appt. this morning and I am PLEASED as punch to announce that there has been NO more progress down South. I'm holding at 3cm and she's hanging in there...though hanging very low still. My labwork from last week all came back normal so no antibiotics for Addicyn. And, I dropped 1.5 lbs but really I'm sure it was because I was weighed on a different set of scales today. Everything looks fine and the next goal is to make it to 38 weeks, which is next Tuesday. I have officially been pregnant longer this time than with Andrew!! Time to party.....errrr I mean rest some more and keep those legs crossed!

37 weeks: Full-term!!

2011-07-19T09:09:00.003-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 37 weeks/21 days until my due date

Size of Baby: Addicyn is the length of a stalk of Swiss chard.

Total Weight Gain: 15 pounds - When I questioned the doctor about my weight gain, she informed me that my weight depended on which scale of the 4 in the office I was weighed on. She said one was almost 5 lbs. heavier than the others SO I really have no idea how much I have actually gained this pregnancy since I haven't weighed myself at home and have been relying solely on the doctor's scales. What a bummer! I have noticed that both times I weighed on this particular scale, my weight increased by 4 & 5 lbs. For record-keeping sake, I'm going to put it as they have it in my file at the OB office - right or not, who knows!

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing both regular and maternity tops with maternity bottoms. Dresses are the most comfortable.

Best Moment(s) this week: Reaching 37 weeks means I am full-term and we're so very thankful to have reached this milestone!!

Gender: It's a Girl - Addicyn Marie

Movement: She is still moving a lot and it is still uncomfortable. My belly looks like a wave and gets a lot of attention from family members. She is extremely busy at night (usually 10pm until after I go to bed) - I hope that isn't a sign of things to come.

Food Craving: Even at 37 weeks, I don't think I'm having anything I can consider a craving but I still enjoy anything sweet!

What I miss: since my doctor appointment, I have put myself on couch rest. I haven't left the house since last Thursday and have done little of anything. I am bored out of my mind, which means I have been reading and taking naps. PS I am NOT a napper and this sitting around doing nothing is not for me. I'm doing what I must though to prevent early labor.

What I am looking forward to: my next appointment on Thursday to see how much (if any) more I have progressed.

Belly Button: It's non-existent.

Symptoms: Braxton Hicks contractions as soon as my feet hit the floor, piriformis syndrome has lessened a bit, full-waddle mode, crazy dreams, feeling more pressure and frequent bathroom trips. TMI alert - constipation is miserable and I'm experiencing all of the end of pregnancy/early labor symptoms that I won't spell out on here. Dilation and effacement!!

Next OB appointment: #12 Thursday, July 21 @ 10:30am w/ Dr. Fisher

Early last week, I started having a LOT of contractions. Not only did it feel like my belly was about to rip right open but it felt like she was about to kick out below. I had this terrible pinching feeling so I had a good idea of what I might hear from the doctor on Thursday. My blood pressure was 108/64 and they checked my iron once again to find that it is slightly low still. A normal reading begins at 12.0 and my reading was 11.4. Because one of my main concerns was constipation, Dr. Trollip didn't want to bump up my iron intake because iron can greatly influence constipation. She told me to continue taking Miralax once daily. After measuring too small by tape measurement since week 30, I finally measured on target at 36 weeks. It was time for the first internal exam and the Group B Strep test. When she checked me, it H-U-R-T! It hurt so bad that I held my breath, wrinkled my face, clinched my teeth and wanted to come off that table. I think Dr. Trollip was surprised that I was a "loose" 3 cm and 80% effaced already. Addicyn is also "very low" and the reason I'm feeling so much pressure. It is just a matter of time. How much time? Nobody knows so I came home and packed mine and Addicyn's hospital bag as well as a bag for Andrew. I purchased a few last minute items online and tried to tie up some final loose ends.

Being that I wasn't even full-term (36w, 2d) and knowing how Andrew was impacted from being early, I decided to take it seriously this time around. With Andrew, I was clueless but after dealing with a baby who initally had some breathing issues, his sucking reflex hadn't developed fully so he couldn't latch and who was tormented with reflux for 7 months, I decided to put myself on couch rest. Right now, my goal is to make it full-term (1 more day as I'm typing this on Monday) and then I'll move on to the goal of getting past Andrew's birthing day at 37w, 2d (Thursday). If we can make it past Thursday, I'll set my goal for 38 weeks and then just getting through each day and making it closer to my due date. I would be completely surprised if we made it to August but that would make me so happy!! I have cried several times because I feel so useless yet I know I am doing what I need to do to ensure she is healthy as possible when she decides to make her appearance. My mom and stepdad came this weekend to help D clean the house a bit. I am so thankful for them and my mom even gave me a pedicure. I had planned to get one at my salon but didn't want to risk it and go to the hospital with nasty looking feet.

Quickly, I have had a few crazy dreams lately but nothing about giving birth or having a newborn. One night, I dreamed about rats running around all over the place (ewwww!), another night I dreamed a cruise ship had docked in our town (which is 2 hours from the ocean) and the funniest was when I dreamed about a spider. Picture this: middle of the night about 2am, I sat up in bed and started frantically telling D there was a spider in the bed. While looking for it in the bed and on myself (with no glasses on, in the dark, of course LOL), I was patting the bed trying to kill it at the same time. When he sat up and I came to, I told him I was just dreaming but he wanted to be sure. He quickly got out of the bed, turned on the light and started tossing the sheets just to make sure that big, hairy tarantula the size of my hand wasn't really in the bed. I'm happy to report...it wasn't!! ☺

Now...back to resting! If there is any news, somebody will try to post an update on here, Facebook and Twitter. Let's just hope I get to type that 38 week post!

Shake It Up!

2011-07-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Andrew attended his first Vacation Bible School last week at our church. He had a great time meeting new friends, learning new songs, making new recipes and hearing new Bible stories. Being 9 months pregnant, I wasn't able to help so I dropped him off and left each night. Thankfully, a photographer took pictures all week so the parents could see what the children learned. Here are a few pictures of Andrew...

Being a back-up musician!

The last day of photos haven't been posted but he had a great time each and every night! Below is a video I took of him singing one of the songs he learned. Usually, he will not perform for me but I took this from my computer and he could see himself singing and dancing. I took several different videos and the child danced non-stop for 45 minutes.

PS I will have an update on my pregnancy/progression tomorrow but I am currently on couch rest in an effort to keep Addicyn put for several more days - hence the messy room and my child's outfit plus one sock!

1st vs. 2nd

2011-07-13T12:10:00.001-04:00

If you are tired of all these pregnancy posts, hang tight because it's almost over. Then, I'll be MIA for a little while I'm sure of it. This is a long post comparing my 1st and 2nd pregnancies mainly intended for my feeble brain. Some people say pregnancies are completely different while in many ways, they are very similar. While I still have some time and am in my right frame of mind, I wanted to document the similarities and differences as a future reference. If you decide to skip this post, I certainly understand!

1st & 2nd - wasn't actively trying but also wasn't actively preventing either pregnancy

1st - got pregnant within a couple of weeks
2nd - took a little longer - a couple of months

1st - knew I was pregnant or something wasn't right
2nd - didn't feel pregnant, D convinced me to take the pregnancy test

1st - kept secret from immediate family for 3 days after confirmation OB appt.
2nd - kept secret from family for 10 days after confirmation OB appt.

1st - told family by taking a picture of us holding a We're Having a Baby sign - we filtered that picture in among our cruise pictures for them to find
2nd - told family at Christmas by wrapping a gift to them from Andrew - they opened the gift to find a shirt saying I'm Going to Be a Big Brother

1st - everything looked perfectly fine at the intial appt. where I had the first ultrasound
2nd - there was no heartbeat initially - very worried but Dr. Segal felt I wasn't as far along as thought due to 32-day cycle instead of 28-day cycle

1st - a couple of ultrasounds in the beginning
2nd - initial ultrasound, 8 week ultrasound to detect heartbeat and no more until anatomical ultrasound done at 18 weeks - felt disconnected to baby

1st - came up with a boy's name immediately and intuitively knew it was a boy - only waivered for a few days around week 15 - mother's intuition was dead on!
2nd - had a girl's name already picked out but couldn't find even one boy name I liked or felt that fit - intuitively knew it was a girl and never once waivered - was right once again!

1st - quit work at week 14 due to work-related stress imposed by co-workers - stayed home and enjoyed pregnancy doing nothing but being a housewife
2nd - stayed busy the whole time: working PT real estate job, chasing a 3 year old, running to & from preschool & play dates, being a mommy/housewife and everything that goes along with it

1st - jumped the gun and immediately spent $$$ on maternity clothes - didn't use most after I quit work
2nd - given several maternity pieces from a neighbor and bought several more from a consignment store - much more stylish and fun to dress for a spring/summer pregnancy

1st - morning sickness but not debilitating, a lot of dry heaves esp. when teethbrushing, constant vomiting from weeks 13-17
2nd - general mild nausea but only vomitted twice around week 14

1st - main diagnosed problems were dehydration and low iron
2nd - main diagnosed problems were extreme exhaustion due to low iron/possible dehydration & piriformis syndrome that lasted entire duration of pregnancy

1st - signed up to receive a gazillion emails documenting what was happening with my body and baby each week - also read 2 informational baby books throughout pregnancy - information overload
2nd - signed up for no emails and sporadically read 1 book - only made it to week 20-something.

1st - took childbirthing classes and developed a birthing plan
2nd - skipped anything even close to another class and there is no birthing plan to date

1st - D attended every OB appointment with me minus the initial confirmation appointment
2nd - D only attended the anatomical and 3D/4D ultrasound appointments - Andrew was present as well

1st - enrolled in the Maternity Care program through our insurance and spoke with a nurse bi-weekly regarding my pregnancy
2nd - enrolled in that program again but have not spoken with a nurse even once - hopefully they think I know what to expect

1st - vigilant about my behavioral impacts on the baby (didn't get hair colored, strict about the weight I lifted, etc.)
2nd - decided I looked horrible in my pictures with Andrew - continued to get hair colored, not much of a choice in lifting a 3 year old

1st - had cravings the entire pregnancy including but not limited to tomatoes, Sour Patch kids, chocolate milk, pickles, Doritos, ice cream/anything sweet
2nd - few real cravings but still had sweet tooth - enjoyed turnip greens a lot more than usual at beginning of pregnancy

1st - overweight from the beginning and a more unhealthy diet which included caffinated soft drinks
2nd - normal weight to begin and had few to no soft drinks - mainly tea and water plus more vegetables/fruits

1st - got massages for pleasure and to help with hip pain
2nd - sacrificed that luxury and got only one to help with piriformis syndrome

1st - other symptoms: hip pain from sleeping on sides, 1 night of indigestion from a greasy hamburger, restless arm, severe back pain at end - used exercise ball and heating pad often
2nd - other symptoms: piriformis syndrome entire pregnancy, 1 night of indigestion

1st - had 3 baby showers because we needed everything and I registered for a lot and received a lot - advised not to travel so I missed one shower
2nd - had 1 baby sprinkle and registered only for essentials because I had a lot remaining from 1st and were given a lot of 0-3 mos. clothing - registered for mainly diapers, wipes and gift cards

1st - chose a baby-ish, unisex theme for the nursery and finished it with plenty of time to spare
2nd - didn't want a themed nursery and finished only at week 34

1st - endured a lot of stress around the selling of our first home - I was generally down a lot from the worry and didn't have much of an appetite - 10 months of stress
2nd - stress came in the form of getting approved for the Transition of Care after the contract ended between our insurance company and our preferred hospital - finally approved in June at week 25

1st - started slowing down around the 5th month
2nd - started slowing down around the 8th month - body was adjusted to the constant busyness with a toddler

1st - wrote sporadic journal entries and took sporadic pictures
2nd - have blogged since the very first week and have taken weekly belly pictures since week 15 - much better documentation

1st - took prenatal vitamins, iron and calcium without missing a night
2nd - still take but don't fret over missing them

1st - no stretchmarks!!
2nd - no stretchmarks so far!!

1st - gained 7.5 lbs total
2nd - gained 10 lbs. to date

1st - Andrew chosen because it's a classic name, middle name (McNeill) chosen after mother-in-law's family name
2nd - Addicyn named after my paternal Grandpa Troy, middle name (Marie) chosen after my mom's middle name

1st & 2nd - both very pleasurable pregnancies!!!

1st - Andrew born at 37 weeks, 2 days on February 5, 2008 at 8:42am, weighed 6 lbs., 5 oz. and 19" long. 14 hours of labor, back pain, water broken, Pitocin drip started, epidural, checked into the hospital at 1:08am, started pushing at 7:36am, Dr. Rappaport was on-call dr. when we checked in, Dr. Campbell delivered Andrew
2nd - Addicyn - we shall see ☺

36 weeks

2011-07-12T09:22:00.001-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 36 weeks/9 months/28 days until my due date

Size of Baby: Addicyn is the size of a crenshaw melon - whatever that is.

Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing both regular and maternity tops with maternity bottoms. Dresses are the most comfortable.

Best Moment(s) this week: Going for the growth u/s and getting good news. Realizing that maybe I'm not swelling too much after all.

Gender: It's a Girl - Addicyn Marie

Movement: I thought she started moving late but she has made up for any lost time. Def. a mover and shaker - even more than Andrew was. I like watching her move but it can get uncomfortable.

Food Craving: Anything sweet!

What I miss: going full steam ahead. I'm slowing down more and more each week but still staying busy!

What I am looking forward to: I am looking forward to meeting Addicyn and holding her for the first time but I'm also REALLY looking forward to seeing how Andrew reacts to the new baby. I'm excited for the first time he gets to hold her because he has been wanting Addicyn to come out for so long. I'm tearing up just typing that so I'm sure I'll be a puddle once it really happens.

Belly Button: It's non-existent.

Symptoms: off and on Braxton Hicks contractions, piriformis syndrome on both sides, full-waddle mode, feeling more pressure and frequent bathroom trips. Thankfully, the swelling hasn't happened since Wednesday so I'm pretty sure that it was associated with the sunburn on my legs and not with pregnancy.

Next OB appointment: #11 Thursday, July 14 @ 9:45am w/ Dr. Trollip

While there is so much happiness at this point in our lives, I still find myself being a little sad that this season is about to draw to a close. Of course, I will miss being pregnant but I am also sad that the last few days of giving Andrew all my attention is coming to an end as well. Usually I'm just in full-mommy mode and it doesn't even hit me that it will be over soon. I am going to miss being able to spend one-on-one time with him and I pray that he never feels like he's being pushed off to the side. I guess that's my concern. While getting ready for church on Sunday, it hit me that in a month, we will be getting two children ready for church. My days will start a lot earlier, I'll have to become an even better planner than I already am, it will take even longer to get things done or to go places, I will have even less downtime than now (like there is much of that now), I will often run thin on patience but I will also have more love to give and more rewards to reap when I look at my children. We have been blessed. We are blessed and I am/will be thankful for both seasons of life.

This week's OB appt. will consist of the first internal exam and the Group B Strep testing. It will be interesting to see if I have started progressing at all. With Andrew I was already 3 cm dilated at my 35w, 3d appt. and was sent home with orders of resting. At the 36w, 3d appt., I was 4cm dilated and 70% effaced when Dr. Rappaport sent me directly over to the hospital for monitoring because my contractions were strong and about every 5 minutes. My back was killing me too! After 3-4 hours of monitoring and no more progression, I was sent home mainly because I wasn't full-term (37 weeks) yet. I had two baby showers planned that weekend and missed one because the doctors advised against traveling. Within 5 days, Andrew was born so it will be interesting to see where I am now. Like I've said before, I hope she gives me extra time to enjoy this pregnancy. While in the beginning of this pregnancy I thought I was getting bigger faster, I have now decided that I was bigger with Andrew than this time. I didn't do as great a job at documenting Andrew's pregnancy since I did handwritten journal entries and I also didn't take weekly belly photos either so I can't put up comparison pictures. I do have some growth pictures that I will post as the weeks wind down. I always think those are so fun to see the side-by-side changes from week to week.

Finally....Our 4th

2011-07-08T09:15:00.001-04:00

Thursday after my OB appt., we loaded up and headed down I-40E to the beach condo. We got there about 5:30pm, unpacked and went to the beach. We hadn't planned to get in the water so no one was wearing swimsuits. Three-year-olds don't care about swimsuits and there was no way to keep him dry. So what!! He had a great time - screaming, laughing, squealing, running, jumping, falling down a time or two in the water, running from the surf, looking for seashells and just being a kid. When we got back to the car, we stripped him and he rode to the condo naked as a jaybird.

Friday, we went to the beach again - just the 3 of us. I read my book while D and Andrew played in the water. I sat with them while the tide rolled in and Andrew enjoyed kicking the ball into the water and letting it wash back up to him. He kept dad busy running around!! We stayed for three hours and went back to get showers and naps before dinner.

After dinner, we went to the newest park in town. Actually, there are two new parks at Ocean Isle Beach so we took Andrew to play for a while. There were lots of people there! Andrew has reached a new phase over the last couple of weeks where he is now really interested in other kids and making friends. Used to be that he was really shy when anyone spoke to him but now he's yelling hey or hey boy or hey girl to everybody. I have mixed emotions - before I wanted him to speak to people talking to him but now, he's talking to everybody. Hey (insert gender)! sounds kind of rude and I know he's just being friendly but I don't know how he should talk to people with whom he doesn't know their names other than ask them. Usually he isn't close enough to ask them when he's shouting it. What do you think? Either way, he found a few kids to interact with and run off some energy!

Saturday, we went to Sunset Beach. My mom, stepdad and nephew decided they wanted to come for the day. My stepdad had a beach tent to use so we were able to stay out a lot longer than usual. We spent 6 hours on the beach and Andrew loved having Bailey as his playmate.

Andrew also enjoyed having Meemaw and Pawpaw there as playmates as well. D and I enjoyed having them there as more sets of eyes and bodies so we didn't have to do all the work. Andrew played in the sand with them and they gave Pawpaw a sand exfoliation treatment . They all enjoyed it!!

At Sunset Beach, after the tide comes in and rolls back out, there is a big pool that forms between the beach and the ocean. Parents take their kids there, sit down and relax while their kids splash around in the shallow water. We all sat there and enjoyed it. We chit-chatted, people watched and soaked up the sun. Back under the tent, we had food galore and no reason to leave...until the threat of a storm rolled in. Everybody left at the same time causing a huge traffic backup and in the end, no storm even occurred. We went back for showers and off to N. Myrtle Beach for dinner. They all got in the pool once we returned from dinner. I stayed in the condo to clean a little bit.

Sunday, was our last day for the beach since we planned to leave around lunch on Monday. The wind was blowing like crazy and the beach tent could barely withstand the wind. We were all worried about the tent and I just couldn't relax. My legs got burned on Saturday and I didn't plan to be in the sun at all so I sat under the tent the whole day minus 30 minutes or so. With the combination of sun and wind, we all got more sun than bargained for. We were still able to stay on the beach for 5 hours but we were all beached out so we went back for showers and went to Outback for dinner in N. Myrtle Beach. We said our goodbyes to Meemaw, Pawpaw and Bailey. They headed NW and we went back to the condo for our last night.

We left the beach on Monday about 1pm and made great time coming home. Monday night we went out for ice cream and saw the fireworks in our community. The finale finished just as the rain started pouring down. We got back to our car slightly soaked and made it home safely. It was a good vacation and Independence Day, which will definitely be our last before another member is added to our family!!

A Baby Girl and Her Nursery

2011-07-06T07:54:00.000-04:00

As promised yesterday, a 35-week belly picture, an ultrasound update and a nursery.

U/S update: Addicyn is 100% perfectly healthy according to the doctor and the results of the bio-physical profile. She is definitely small and measuring at only the 17th percentile but there is no concern until that percentile drops to the 10th percentile. Addicyn is still a girl☺ and currently weighs 5 lbs. but I forgot (and they didn't speculate) to ask an estimated birth weight. I was able to get another peek at my little sweetie and even found out that she has some hair already. All of her organs are functioning properly and we watched her practicing breathing. She had a full bladder and I learned that babies empty their bladder every 30 minutes. This u/s was very informative. Everything is right on point and I am relieved just getting the opinions of another sonographer and doctor.

She has her face resting on her arm.

Now for this little girl's nursery: Don't expect a lot of creativity or wow factor like you may have seen on some blogs because you will certainly be disappointed. It is elegantly simple - just how I want it. This go around I didn't want a theme or especially nothing that screams baby. Initially, I wanted pink toile but after pricing the fabric, I decided I didn't have several hundred dollars to spend so I started searching for an alternative. I found her bedding at Pottery Barn Kids and it is the Katie design. Due to the crib slats, it is hard to see its simple beauty so these pictures were taken directly from PB Kids website.

We are using Andrew's crib. It is cherry finish because all of the furniture in our house (minus the glider and laundry hamper, lol) is the same finish. The style of our crib doesn't allow the crib skirt to show as much as I would like but it works fine. The nursery colors are all taken from the polka dotted crib sheet: pale pink, hot pink, chocolate brown and mint green. I chose the wall color (Daquiri Ice) from the Pottery Barn catalog as well. It is a Benjamin Moore color but we always use Sherwin-Williams paint because of that connection. Initially, I thought it was a little too pale so I had D to darken it by 10% and it really matches the bedding almost perfectly. Remember that paint color in pictures and on computer screens isn't accurate so it does look a tad darker in person.

Initially, we had the crib on the wall where the wall vinyl is placed but there wasn't room for the glider except in front of the window. It just looked and felt awkward; I like this set up a lot better.

The pink frame on the wall is where I'll add a photo of her from each of her first twelve months so if it looks empty now, it is. The picture frame sitting on the chest of drawers contains a poem I had displayed at her baby sprinkle. The small side table beside the glider is just perfect to place a bottle while trying to burp or rock her back to sleep. The frame says Me and My Big Brother and will soon hold a real picture of the siblings.

I bought hot pink window panels and they match her bedding almost exactly. I was a little concerned about them making her entire room a bright pink when the sun shines in but they don't. I went with a changing table organizer this time instead of a diaper stacker because I just couldn't find a stacker that matched. The stuffed giraffe is left over from Andrew's nursery and is no longer in the room. A small trash can will go there. We used the Diaper Champ last time because it used regular grocery bags instead of expensive refills but it was my biggest disappointment when it came to baby products. It did NOT contain the nasty diaper smell so I think we'll use a small trash can like we did at the end of Andrew's diaper wearing days. It forces you to see the diapers and change the bag daily so the smelly diapers don't have time to marinate. We also installed a ceiling fan because her room is the warmest in the entire house.

Finally, the only wall I needed to decorate was behind her crib. I thought and thought about what I could add that would be large enough. I looked for wall art (didn't find anything I thought fit), thought about painting an abstract canvas (my last choice because I can't paint a lick), adding a shelf with pictures (she has enough picture options in there already) or adding her name in wooden letters (she already has her name on the wall art and on the matted signature frame). As I flipped through one of my baby magazines, I saw an article about using your child's items in the future and for different purposes. One thing it showed was embroidery hoop wall art. At first, I planned to get random pieces of fabric matching her room colors but didn't find anything I liked. Then, I had an idea of cutting up a few crib sheets that match her bedding but that could cost more than planned since her crib sheets were $12-14 each. Plus, crib sheets are pretty thin so the idea of buying receiving blankets popped into my brain in the early hours one morning. I went to my Babies R Us registry and found that the receiving blankets I had registered for were the perfect option. I bought a pack of 4 receiving blankets for $16 and started cutting. I also spray painted the hoops and within a few days, I had wall art that I think makes the room. They are 4-5 different sizes and 4 different patterns that all contain the colors of her bedding. I even made a 14"piece of hoop art for the tiny wall beside her changing table plus I have fabric remaining for receiving blankets - they just need hemming around the side I cut.

As far as I'm concerned, her room is complete minus one thing...a sweet baby girl! Sometimes I walk in there, just relax in the glider and think about how our lives are about to change. I try to picture all the activity that will soon fill that room. I also got out her bouncy seat, which really just vibrates and her swing. I haven't put her swing completely together and the reason Andrew is actually lying on the floor. Can you tell Andrew is eagerly awaiting his sister's arrival?

PS I wish I had a good camera that took better quality pictures.

35 weeks

2011-07-05T07:03:00.001-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 35 weeks/35 days until my due date

Size of Baby: Addicyn is the size of a honeydew melon.

Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing both regular and maternity tops with maternity bottoms. Dresses are the most comfortable.

Best Moment(s) this week: Finishing the nursery and making our final beach trip before Addicyn is born.

Gender: It's a Girl - Addicyn Marie

Movement: Her movements now are so forceful that they are almost uncomfortable at times. Without even looking at my belly, I can see it moving. According to the professionals, her movements should slow but hers have not. Matter of fact, I am supposed to be doing kick counts but I have not even had to do it b/c there is no lack of movement. She has always been very active between 10-11pm and now I can feel her hiccuping.

Food Craving: Anything sweet!

What I miss: After last night's episode of swelling, I miss having pretty hands, feet and ankles. I never swelled with Andrew until after I gave birth to him so this is all new for me and I'm not a fan!

What I am looking forward to: I am looking forward to meeting Addicyn and holding her for the first time but I'm also at the point of my nerves starting to kick in. I'm not sure which is better - not knowing what to expect and going in blindly or knowing pretty much what to expect.

Belly Button: What's that? It's pretty much flat as a pancake these days.

Symptoms: off and on Braxton Hicks contractions. Piriformis syndrome on both sides - not just my left though it has let up a little over the past week! I'm in full-waddle mode, 1 night of indigestion and I have had 2 days of monster-looking feet. Oh how I do not like swelling. I'm hoping that some of it is associated with the sunburn on my legs received while at the beach.

Next OB appointment: #11 Thursday, July 14 @ 9:45am w/ Dr. Trollip

Last Thursday I went for my 34th week appointment and had not gained any more weight and my blood pressure was good at 100/62. The nurse did casually mention that I need to drink more water on the week where I actually felt like I was drinking a ton. Oh well! My appt. was with my favorite doctor that I absolutely adore. As soon as he came in, we started discussing the appt. I'd had two weeks ago where there was concern over Addicyn's growth since I wasn't measuring big enough. Ever since I hit the 30th week, I've been measuring 2 weeks behind. Again, instead of measuring at 34 weeks, I measured only 32. Dr. Segal and I discussed at length the concern with Addicyn measuring in the 48th percentile at my 3D u/s to only 15th percentile two weeks later. I asked if there was a possibility that I'm not as far along as calculated since I'm measuring two weeks off and he said no. He also believes based on Andrew's birth weight/length as well as mine and D's height that Addicyn could just be small BUT he wants confirmation. He repeated that he isn't worried but he wants a professional to measure Addicyn again immediately to get a more accurate percentile due to the disparity in the two percentiles recently gathered.

He sent me over to have an u/s done immediately instead of waiting until my 36th week appt. When I went to the office to check-in and was asked for my insurance card, I was informed we are not in-network. So I handed her my insurance approval form only to find out they (UNC Healthcare) are separate from my hospital although they are located at my hospital and they own my hospital. I was so frustrated and didn't know what to do. I can't afford to pay $900+out-of-pocket for an u/s so I called D and explained it to him. I was in tears, my eyeballs were red, snot was freely flowing and I finally made the decision to just wait. Like I don't have enough to worry about with all of the things Dr. Segal and I discussed, now I had to worry about stupid insurance again!!

Through quivering voice, I called the referral coordinator at my OB office back to see if she could get me in with the practice that performed my anatomical u/s, who is in-network. She was able to get me an appt. for this morning at 8:30am. They will re-measure Addicyn just to make sure everything is fine. I'm not sure what the next step will be if there is a problem but am praying she is in fact just small or Dr. Bruton's bedside u/s measurements were off.

Either way, we went to the beach and had a fun time. I realized that although I feel like a whale, I really am small compared to other pregnant women. We met a lady on the beach whose due date is August 11th (my birthday and 2 days after my due date) and she was a lot bigger than me. Another pregnant lady sat just in front of us and she was a lot bigger as well and I'm pretty certain she was 34 weeks or less. If she was further along, she was chancing it by being out on the beach and being in the ocean riding waves post 34 weeks.

Because I had to get up way early this morning to fight Raleigh rush hour traffic the day after a holiday, I will post a belly picture, pictures of Addicyn's nursery along with an u/s update tomorrow.

Sometimes...

2011-06-30T07:26:00.000-04:00

I think about all the ways I wish God had created me differently. Do you? I don't think I've ever verbalized this list before and probably shouldn't now but these are things I think about on occasion. It's kind of funny that I typed this on Sunday and since I have seen two similar blog posts from friends and a tweet regarding the same subject. It's obvious I'm not the only one struggling with this topic from time to time.

Sometimes

...I wish I was a social butterfly - the one who never turns down an invitation to a get-together. Instead, I am usually the one that almost dreads getting those invitations in the mail because it's just one more thing to debate. Should I go or not?

...I wish I was the kind of person that needed and wanted to be around large groups of people all the time but I'm just not. My family makes me happy and spending nearly every waking minute with them is all I need and want.

...I wish I was the one with the bubbly personality that draws a crowd but in reality, I am the one that shies away from bringing attention to myself. In large groups, I'm the listener. In small groups, I'm more comfortable.

...I wish I had a large circle of friends that I stayed in constant contact through more than social networking but the true me only desires a small group of people to really share my life in a personal way.

...I wish I enjoyed public speaking but truthfully, it scares me to death. I think the most relaxed I have ever been speaking publicly was during our rehearsal dinner when I talked for a solid 15 minutes in front of 40+ people.

...I wish I had overflowing confidence in the things I know and in my opinions yet usually I question myself and end up holding back.

...I wish I knew how to just let go and have fun. Oh wait, I do in my own little way - my way just isn't the same as the ways of others.

...I wish I was the spontaneous type to just drop whatever and do something but I'm rigid, a planner and not a huge fan of drastic change. I need and want a routine. I have learned from being a mommy and a social worker that flexibility is key but it doesn't mean I always like it.

...I wish I could speak my mind without always worrying that I've offended someone because my words didn't come out as planned or because they misconstrued my words. I'm tired of always being politically correct but because of bad experiences in the past, I always fall back on being safe (and qualifying everything I say) rather than sorry.

...I wish that I could completely let go of how others perceive me. I want people to like me but in the end, does it really matter? In one way, I've learned that I don't care because I refuse to compromise who I am just to fit in. In other ways, I've learned that I do still care when it really doesn't matter.

...I wish I was the perfect mommy that has a special activity planned for her child every day of the week and loved being busy all the time. That's not me. I love doing special things but I also love spending time at home. Home is where my heart is!

...I wish I was the mommy full of patience that never lost her temper or raised her voice but I admit to these things more often than I'm proud to say.

...I wish I was the wife that meets her husband at the door with a kiss, completely outfitted and with makeup applied including a positive attitude but rarely does that ever happen. And, I mean rarely...if ever!

...I wish I was the mommy and wife that did everything with a smile on my face and full of happiness but I get tired of playing so many roles all the time. Some women seem to have it together all the time but I don't. Some days are hit and some days are a big miss for me.

...I wish I didn't beat myself up so much with these thoughts because God created me, shaped and molded me into who I am. I might not be everything the world deems as popular but I've also come to realize that if I tried to be something other than who I really am, I would never be happy. I am who I am. I'm not where I want to be but God created this personality and though I have a lot of work to do in many areas of my life, I think I'm doing ok being me. I just need to remind myself on a regular basis...

34 weeks

2011-06-28T09:24:00.000-04:00

Pregnancy Highlights:

How Far Along: 34 weeks/42 days until my due date

Size of Baby: Addicyn is the size of a cantaloupe (yuck!).

Total Weight Gain: 10 pounds

Maternity Clothes: I'm wearing both regular and maternity tops with maternity bottoms. Dresses are the most comfortable.

Best Moment(s) this week: Finally figuring out what I wanted for wall decor and working on it. Her room is pretty much done so the nursery reveal will be next week!!

Gender: It's a Girl - Addicyn Marie

Movement: Her movements now are so forceful that they are almost uncomfortable at times. I can peripherally see my belly moving.

Food Craving: Anything sweet!

What I miss: good sleep and generally feeling comfortable. It's not that I'm terribly uncomfortable but I think no matter how great a pregnancy has been (and mine has been great minus the piriformis pain), everybody is bound to become uncomfortable in the last few weeks.

What I am looking forward to: going to the beach and enjoying our last trip as a family of 4.

Belly Button: What's that? It's pretty much flat as a pancake these days.

Symptoms: off and on Braxton Hicks contractions. Piriformis syndrome on both sides - not just my left! Exhaustion!

Next OB appointment: #10 Thursday, June 30 @ 10am w/ Dr. Segal (my favorite doctor!)

I have been drinking more water! Am I drinking 64+ oz. a day? No, but I am drinking more water than usual. Also, let me just clarify since last week's update was pretty glum, I have LOVED this pregnancy just like my pregnancy with Andrew. IF having babies wasn't such a huge responsibility after they were born, I would still choose to be a full-time pregnant woman.

Andrew went to stay at Meemaw and Pawpaw's house this past weekend so I was able to do all of my deep cleaning. It might be the last time my deep cleaning happens until after Addicyn arrives. Bending down vacuuming baseboards really kills my hips/butt/back and actually causes BH contractions. We did have sort of a date night though our idea of date night is way different from what most think of when they hear date night. We went back to our favorite local Italian restaurant and pigged out. I felt like I drank my body weight in ounces of water. Then, we drove to Babies R Us and bought a few things from my registry and on to Jo-Ann to buy a few supplies. We ended our night with a peanut butter milkshake from Cook Out. Our house was so quiet and I enjoyed getting things done but I missed Andrew. It was also nice to have a clean house for longer than 5 minutes but nothing compares to the laughter and sweet voice of a 3 year old.

It's hard for me to comprehend that she will definitely be here in 7 weeks and most likely a lot sooner. If she follows in her brother's footsteps, I could be checking into the hospital in 3 weeks! I know a lot of you have commented how quickly this pregnancy has flown by and it has for me as well. Seems like just yesterday I was being persuaded to take the pregnancy test by D and I kept refusing, positive that it wouldn't be positive. I have been thinking about the similarities and differences between my pregnancies so I plan to make up a comparison list very soon (if for no other reason than to just remember when I am in my older years).

PS - The nursery will be done today or tomorrow at the latest!! Can't wait to be done with that task.